Alabama Football: What I learned watching the Tide play Kent State
By Dave Ozment
The 2016 Alabama football team moved to 4-0 after an uncontested 48-0 showing against Kent State, but what did we learn from them on Saturday?
ICYMI: An LS-Eulogy For the Les Miles Era at LSU
With each passing week we’ll learn more about the 2016 Crimson Tide squad. We’ll spot trends as they emerge and puzzle at both the positive and negative outliers throughout the Alabama football season.
In this weekly feature I’ll highlight a handful of the lessons this team is teaching me.
Alabama Play 60
The NFL with its multi-million dollar ad campaign has nothing on Coach Nick Saban. While the
league has been promoting 60 minutes of daily activity for our youth, Saban has been chewing assess and taking names. Saturday, such a tack yielded the desired results as the Tide did indeed submit a full 60 minute performance.
Penalties and unforced errors were way down and the Tide stepped on the field ready to compete, running off 21 first quarter points. Of course not every aspect of the day was perfect, (hint, it ever will be), but the effort was on point as the Tide coasted to an easy win.
Next Man Up to Tote the Rock
The Alabama football rotation at running back had been a dizzying ride coming into the game Saturday and then things started to get interesting. Damien Harris turned an ankle on a play that looked like it could have been much worse, which opened up the door for freshman Josh Jacobs to play a lead role – and he did not disappoint.
Game one starter Bo Scarbrough carried a handful of times as the 3rd back before being sidelined with a thigh bruise which limited his carries for the day. This allowed another freshman, BJ Emmons, who previously earned time as the second running back, to enter the game.
On its face, the situation resembles a mess, but the details are far too fine for that assessment to hold up. The reality is that in allowing each of the youngsters to be brought along slowly, the Tide is developing an impressive cadre of backs which will stabilize and fortify the position as the season progresses.
A close look at the details reveals another masterful job being done my Tide running backs coach Burton Burns.
Up and Down the Line
Saban wasn’t kidding when he suggested that the starters along the interior offensive line were not set. After a false start, Shank Taylor was replaced at right guard by Lester Cotton. This was an interesting move, as there had been no indication that Cotton was getting any time at the position – at least during the brief media view periods.
These shifts will sort themselves out more quickly than the rotation at running back because cohesion at the position is so critical to the flow of the offense, but this is an important battle to watch as it unfolds.
Thin Peaks Again in Secondary
I may as well be making this up because for the life of me I can’t find a report of it anywhere, but at the 5:31 mark of the 1st quarter Kent State QB Mylik Mitchell throws a 3rd and 9 pass to wideout Nick Holley. The pass falls harmlessly incomplete.
So why the production?
On the play Marlon Humphrey pulls up with what appears to be a hamstring twinge and is replaced by former walk on Levi Wallace on the next defensive series. Marlon returns a series later so the issue apparently was not significant, but the episode further illustrates the Tide’s lack of depth at key positions. Again, this is something Alabama football fans should monitor closely as the season continues.
Next: Top Ten Most Hilarious Les Miles Quotes Ever
Check back 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.