Alabama Football: Report Card for Tide vs. Ole Miss

Alabama football’s offensive report card vs. Ole Miss

Tight Ends: B

Alabama’s tight ends are doing what is necessary from a blocking perspective. This will always be overlooked. I’m going to focus more on the passing game.

So far, Miller Forristall has been the only contributing tight end as a receiving option. That being said, he has had a positive impact and even scored against Ole Miss. At the end of the day, you are not going to get a similar grade as what Alabama deserved when they had OJ Howard and Irv Smith. The tight ends are doing their job, but there is more that can be done for them as a unit.

Quarterback: A

Mac Jones knew that weather was going to be a factor, and it impacted what he could do as a passer. He got lucky a few times in the first half, but he found a rhythm over time. The stats weren’t elite until the deep pass to Jaylen Waddle in the fourth quarter, but Mac was still cooking. He took exactly what the defense gave him with their zone defense, and he saved his deep shots for later in the game.

Mac Jones is incredibly efficient, and he is exactly what Alabama football needs. More pressure will be on his shoulders against the Bulldogs next week. Tide fans certainly hope that he delivers.

Running Backs: A+

I’m not going to let Najee Harris’s early fumble impact Alabama’s grade. It’s Najee’s first fumble in college, and I believe that he had his forward progress stopped quite easily. One thing that went incredibly well for Alabama is the development of Brian Robinson. Alabama is much better when it has a tandem at running back, and they have that with Najee Harris and Brian Robinson.

Najee Harris impacted all facets of the Alabama offense. His five (!!!) touchdowns carried Alabama through a tough game. Alabama needed absolutely everything from this offense, and the running backs delivered. However, they went against one of the worst rushing defenses in college football. This grade is similar to a college student taking a third-grade spelling test. They crushed it, but anything worse would have been an utter failure.

Wide Receivers: A-

Alabama has developed three stud receivers for the 2020 season, and they all shined in this one. DeVonta Smith picked up where he left off last year vs. the Rebels with Alabama’s first touchdown. Jaylen Waddle was a little banged up early, but he had a great game altogether.

Each of the top three receivers had at least 75 yards each and two total touchdowns. Smitty was the star of the day with over 150 receiving yards, a receiving touchdown, and an additional rushing touchdown.