Game notes: MSU vs Bams

MSU vs Bama

First, congrats to the Bama players and coaches for coming back in a big way. They still can improve and hopefully this will be the steppingstone to do it.

OFFFENSE: The offense put together a total of 543 yards, most in the 2nd half. They had 348 passing yards as well as 195 rushing yards. At the half, they only had 205 total yards which means they put 338 yards together in the 2nd half. Now, they did lose an offensive possession when Battle returned the interception for the touchdown, so there are some lost yards. I will say they wasted a couple of positive field positions during the game where they ended up punting. For negative plays, I have Bama with 4 tackles for losses and 2 sacks. There was a fumble, but it was on special teams which they retained. I have Bama with 1 three and out. For plays that covered 10+ yards, I have Bama with 9 passing plays and 8 running plays. Bama got into the red zone twice and scored touchdowns both times. They scored 4 touchdowns from outside the red zone and the defense added the other touchdown. I have mentioned before I would like to see the motion game utilized more like in the past, using the pop pass that has been so successful. However, I realized in this game it is harder to do when you have more TE’s in the game. They seem to be using more spread formations last year and when the TE, Billinsley, was in the game he could line up wide or tight. I just think the motion gives more of the defense to think about and causes them to get out of position more often. Also, I think it slows the pursuit of the DL on running plays.

QB: Young had a good day completing 71% of his passes which includes 1 drop and what I thought was a catch by Bolden. Where he really excelled was when MSU brought pressure. I didn’t keep a total of how many completions he had, but some were big and went for touchdowns. He used his legs a little more this game, but you can see he is still looking downfield when he is scrambling. I will say, I thought he missed a couple that should have been completed. Tyson, basically just finished the game and nothing to really report on.

RB: The running game was solid and got stronger in the 2nd half. They only had 58 yards rushing in the first half and came back with 137 in the second half. Robinson did his usual hard running and picked up a couple of blitzes. Williams also ran hard and delivered a blow to the defensive back that showed he will work to get that extra yard. I thought the limited carries Sanders had showed his vision. I would like to see Bama become a 3-headed monster in the running back position.

Rec: Basically, the main man was Metchie this game with 7 catches for 117 yards. However, the biggest yards per catch average was Williams with 2 catches for 77 yards which is an average of 38.5 yards per catch. Bolden had a couple of catches, but Holden seems to be a guy who could be a bigger part of the offense. Again, this week, no TE had a catch. One thing the receivers did well was made some key blocks that allowed the receiver to score on long passes.

OL: They had a solid game but need to sustain their blocks a little longer. Also, the communication on a couple of blitzes one which led to the sack. On one of the tackles for losses, it looked as if the TE came in motion and may have block the wrong guy by bypassing the most dangerous. Also one thing I noticed was a couple of times the center got knocked back after snapping the ball.

Def: The defense played well. They held MSU to the lowest total yards they have produced this year. The defense gave up a total of 299 yards of total offense. MSU had 300 rushing yards and -1 rushing yards. The rushing total is because sacks are taken off or rushing totals in college. For negative plays, I have Bama with 3 tackles for losses, 7 sacks, and 3 interceptions. One was returned for a touchdown as I stated above. I have the defense with 3 three and outs. For plays that covered 10+ yards, I have MSU with 9 passing plays and 2 running plays. MSU got into the red zone twice and had to settle for field goals both times. The other field goal came from outside the red zone. The MSU QB completed 64% of his passes. Now the threw 55 times. Out of those 55 throws 38 were less than 10 yards from the LOS. Many of them were thrown behind or withing 5 yards of the LOS. Of these passes, he completed 28 of 38. This was putting LB’s and safeties in coverage. I didn’t keep up with the yardage actually gained on these completions, but it was probably most of their passing yards. It asl means, on passes over 20 yards he was 7 for 17. This was a combination of good coverage and pressure.

DL: Even though they didn’t make a lot of tackles, they freed up the LB, to make plays and get into coverage. I would like to see a least one of the DL become a rushing force that could put constant pressure on the QB. Hopefully, and I know he is considered a LB, Anderson’s performance will ignite others to a higher level. There should be enough competition on the DL for someone to want to step up and be that guy. Earlier I thought Mathis was going to be that guy.

LB: A lot better job here. They were put in coverage especially with all the underneath throws. They took better angles and tackled better. They can still do better in my opinion.

DB: I think they had one of their better games. They did have another PI call, and the bad part is he was in position. If you remember above, I mention on balls thrown over 10 yards the MSU QB was only 7 for 17. A couple of these were underthrown balls that are hard to defend. Probably the biggest improvement was the tackling. There were few missed tackles by the secondary. It also seemed that the defensive back, as a whole, were in better position to make plays. Maybe that accounts for the 3 interceptions.

Special teams: There were a couple of moments in special teams that stand out. First, a good return was negated by a holding penalty. Also, good field position was wasted by the offense. Another was the fumble and bobble punts. Losing those could be the difference in a close game.

Penalties: I have Bama for 6 penalties. Most of them were overcome or didn’t hurt them. The defense had 3 with an offsides, a pass interference, and a personal foul. The offense had 2 with block in the back, not necessary, and an illegal formation. The special teams penalty was a holding on a kickoff return which moved the ball from the 47 to the 14 yard line.

Finally, Bama did a good job bouncing back. However, it will depend on how they proceed from here. They can continue to improve, or they can be satisfied where they are. They missed less tackles and had less penalties during crucial times. They still need to shore up some pass protection and blocking assignments on running the ball.
Feel free to comment:

18 and Counting