With each passing week, we’ll learn more about the 2015 Alabama football team. We’ll spot trends as they emerge and puzzle at both the positive and negative outliers.
In this weekly feature, I’ll highlight a handful of the lessons this team is teaching me.
The Tide is who we thought they were – For weeks we’ve been building the case for the Tide’s chances at a title run and this week the team made a very public and dominating case for themselves. While Alabama is rarely presented as a well-rounded squad, this team has demonstrated an array of talents which may position it as the most talented team in the nation.
Capable of shutting down hallowed running attacks while itself dominating the ground game. Capable of unplugging an aggressive and dynamic passing game while taking their own precision strikes downfield. Able to block kicks of all sorts while flipping fields and making long field goals, not to mention setting the tone in the coverage game.
Indoors, outdoors, day, night, rain or shine, this Tide team has a message and speaks it more clearly with each passing contest.
Protect the Ball – Leading up to the game several of the experts had convinced themselves that Brandon Harris was the quarterback who could make the difference for their squad while Jake Coker was not. Talk about twisting the facts to fit the narrative. But on one count they were right. Coker has had the tendency to force throws under pressure which led to some ugly interceptions. But interceptions don’t exist on a continuum. They are not like a cold that gets better before it goes away. Ugly interceptions don’t become contested completions before they cease to exist, rather they vanish immediately upon ceasing the turnover-inducing behavior – in Coker’s case, throwing balls while under physical duress.
So against LSU, Tide fans were treated to a trio of the most wonderful ugly sacks one could imagine. My favorite was the drive killing 12-yard debacle. Oh, they were horrible but the beauty was in getting to line back up to fight another play and/or punt the ball away. By not allowing one bad play to shift the game’s momentum, Alabama was able to retain control over the larger objective.
Alabama Ground Attack – Derrick Henry has acquitted himself as one of the most prolific runners in the country. His head to head performances against Chubb and Fournette alone present an open and shut case. However, the Tide needs to develop a third option in the running game if this form of attack is to last the remaining duration of the season. Watch for Harris and Scarborough to get worked into the mix over the next couple games.
Nov 7, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) leaps over Alabama Crimson Tide defense during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 30-16. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Front Seven – Long known as the strength of the Tide’s defense, the Alabama defensive front took dominance to another level against LSU. The Tiger attack allowed Alabama to maintain a seven-man front most of the night, but the Tigers fared no better when taking turns running against the Alabama nickel and dime sets. Instant classic, greatest, and epic are so often tossed around that they lose significance as descriptive terms. Which only means we’ll have to invent new ones to explain what the Tide front did to LSU on Saturday.
Maintain Focus – The Game of the Century is in the bag, Ole Miss cleared the Tide’s path, a bye week named Charleston Southern awaits and another rivalry week sends the Tide to Jordan-Hare to check out the new scoreboard. However, lost in the shuffle is a short jaunt over to Starkville for a tussle with the always tough Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Now, I’ll stop short of calling for the upset but don’t be surprised to see the Tide come out flat, frustrate all day, and walk away with a coach’s delight.
What’s a coach’s delight you ask? It’s a game that’s never really in question but is close enough and sloppy enough to refocus the team while giving the coach weeks’ worth of harp material.
Next: TIDE REPORT: Saban's Monday Press Conference, Injury Updates
Check back next week as I continue to track these and new items as they emerge from the field. Also, be sure to check out our podcasts as I explore and debate these topics and many more in a more animated format.