Alabama Football: What I Learned Watching Alabama Play Charleston Southern

Dave from the Alabama Football podcast fills you in on what he learned watching the Alabama Crimson Tide take on Georgia Southern.

With each passing week, we’ll learn more about the 2015 Crimson Tide squad.  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.

Better than a Bye Week – I mean no disrespect to the Bucs with this line of discussion, but I think even coach Chadwell would agree with the logic. After all, he too rested many of his frontline guys in this game.

The Tide played an FCS foe and the drop in division tier was evident from the jump. For example, the Tide offensive line averaged a 60 pound advantage over the defensive counterparts. Simply lining up and pounding the running game for 4 quarters would have surely resulted in a win but it would prove nothing. Or better said, it would have improved nothing. Maintaining a balanced attack allowed the Tide to work on timing in the passing game and situational play calling while informing the feedback loop afforded by a live opponent.

Meanwhile, the Tide thrust 49 first half points into play while displaying a handful of subtle wrinkles and personnel moves for those prone for film study – looking at you future opponents.

Young runners – Color me impressed with the talent the Tide has on reserve in the depths of their running back rotation. Damien Harris and Bo Scarborough have the tools to take over Alabama’s strong ground game tradition. However, the bulk of my enthusiasm is more focused on next season than next week. Tide fans need to hope for Henry’s continued health and durability along with the quick recovery of Kenyan Drake. While I’m a long way from predicting doom if Henry were to miss significant snaps, it’s a condition the Tide is better off not testing.

Stay on Message, Stay on Target – There is no question or room for interpretation as to where the collective head of this Alabama Football team is at. Saban commented following the game that the team has played with suspect energy and enthusiasm in games like this in the past but not this time. The Tide was focused and executed well against their objective. And on a Saturday when the same could not be said of other programs with similarly high expectations for the season.

Thank a Senior – Another senior class played their final game in Bryant-Denny on Saturday and every time I swear the earth’s rotation is picking up speed. Yet again, the Tide celebrated the winningest Senior class in the country and with a little luck, and lots of remaining hard work, we’ll all get to see this team add 4 more W’s to the total.

Stick this in your Tin Horn – It’s disconcerting the amount of attention paid to a southern football coach using a colorful colloquialism to make a point about his team’s play. Is this what the internet, click-bait age has denigrated into?  Well, that and porn, let’s not forget the porn.

Next: Alabama Football: Photos From The 56-6 Win Over Charleston Southern

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.