After the Texas game, Alabama Football would likely gain more from playing an opponent more challenging than Louisiana-Monroe (ULM). ULM was a measurement for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2007. In Nick Saban’s first Alabama season, the Tide was found wanting.
No such reveal will occur Saturday in Tuscaloosa. ULM was soundly beaten by Texas in its opening game. The same or maybe worse will happen in Tuscaloosa. No disrespect to ULM is intended, but it is a fact Alabama will be playing against itself on Saturday.
It will mean nothing to any player in Crimson that the Warhawks beat the Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny in 2007. And it shouldn’t. The Alabama football program today is lightyears beyond where it was in 2007.
Last Saturday, the Crimson Tide performed like a program that had slipped from its perch of excellence. Given a bad, game two loss by Utah State to Weber State, the Tide’s opening win is now diminished.
Immediately after and in the two days following the Texas game, much has been said and written. Many Alabama fans are quick to blame one or both Coordinators when the Tide struggles. Fan opinions on whether Bill O’Brien and/or Pete Golding failed on Saturday don’t matter. Even if fans are correct, all that matters is what Nick Saban thinks – and more importantly, does. Without a direct reference to any member of his staff, after the Texas game, Nick Saban said,
"We probably need to do a better job from a planning standpoint"
Was Saban talking about Bill O’Brien? Or was he referencing O’Brien and other offensive assistants? We don’t know, but we can guess the comment had nothing to do with defense or special teams. It is perhaps telling when the staff named its players of the week for the Texas game, only one offensive player, Bryce Young was chosen. But there was only one on defense as well, DeMarcco Hellams.
The Alabama team that played in Austin could lose two, and maybe even three games in the regular season. Thankfully, there are many reasons to believe last Saturday will be the Tide’s poorest performance in the regular season.
Two weeks of practice and two practice games afford needed opportunities to assess, adjust and improve.
Alabama Football Improving Against ULM
The next games can be valuable in developing cohesion on the offensive line. Many Tide fans believe that at some point, Javion Cohen will re-earn the starting role at left guard. If that is going to happen, sooner is better than later.
Since neither Jojo Earle nor Tyler Harrell are expected to be available soon, Isaiah Bond and Kendrick Law get a chance to show they can be counted on at wide receiver. Whether the freshmen stand out or not, Traeshon Holden, Ja’Corey Brooks and Jermaine Burton need to show continued improvement. Holden and Brooks made key fourth-quarter catches against Texas, but overall the position group was disappointing.
Earle and Harrell might be back in action by the Arkansas game (a rumor is it could be Vandy for Harrell). Between now and the Arkansas game, Bill O’Brien needs to quickly expand the Tide’s vertical passing game.
Of course, just identifying a vertical passing weakness is an oversimplification. Without adequate pass protection, deep balls cannot work. Until a consistent running attack is a threat, defenses will keep two safeties deep, making explosive passing plays difficult.
Quite a few Alabama fans prefer more up-tempo, rather than so much checking pre-snap that slows the offense and gives defenses time to be set.
While any offensive approach will work against ULM, it will be interesting to see what O’Brien (and Saban) decide to focus on.