Alabama Football: Offensive Report Card vs ULM

Alabama Football Quarterbacks: B

Alabama Football quarterback Bryce Young had an up-and-down day in week three. The junior finally started connecting on some long pass plays, finding Ja’Corey Brooks, Traeshon Holden, and Cameron Latu among others for big gains. These connections led to Young racking up 236 passing yards on just 13 completions.

For the day, Young threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. However, he threw his first two interceptions of the season on a couple of poor throws. He first underthrew Isaiah Bond, who briefly came open on a deep crossing route as Young escaped the pocket. On his second pick, Young threw the ball slightly behind Ja’Corey Brooks on a slant. Brooks got his hands on it, but ultimately mishandled the pass into the hands of a defender.

Bryce Young still appears to be generally out of sync with his receivers. The timing and rhythm of the passing offense do not look smooth, and most of Young’s completions are still coming on broken plays. While Bryce Young is the best quarterback in the country at making things happen on the fly, this is not a sustainable strategy if Alabama football wants to play for a national championship.

Backup quarterbacks Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson both saw playing time in the second half of the game. Neither completed a pass, as Alabama was content to milk the clock. Milroe had a couple of impressive runs, picking up 42 yards on two attempts. He also had a long touchdown run called back on a holding penalty.

Alabama Football Running Backs: A

For much of the first half, Alabama continued to struggle running the ball. Roydell Williams came in and provided a spark in the third quarter, and the Tide committed to run the rest of the way en route to 273 yards on the ground.

Williams ran eight times for a game-high 58 yards and a touchdown. Jase McClellan had seven carries for 47 yards, and true freshman Jamarion Miller gained 51 yards on four tries. Trey Sanders also got four carries, totaling 35 yards and a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs ran just four times for 36 yards, but once again led the Tide in receiving. He finished with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, giving him over 100 yards of total offense.

This is a deep and balanced stable of backs with extremely versatile skill sets that complement each other well. While this group is still in search of an alpha, it was really nice to see Alabama establish the run in such dominant fashion.

Alabama Football Receivers: B-

The Alabama receivers are still a work in progress, but they continue to show flashes of potential. Traeshon Holden caught three balls for 60 yards and a score, while tight end Cameron Latu caught three passes for 51 yards. Ja’Corey Brooks only caught one pass, but it went for 29 yards. Jermaine Burton was a non-factor for a second straight game, recording just one catch for 16 yards.

It is worth noting that Bryce Young is spreading the ball out to a lot of different receivers, so it is too early to be concerned about Burton’s lack of production. Burton also got behind the defense for what should’ve been a long touchdown, but was overthrown by Young. The two are clearly still optimizing their chemistry with one another.

It was also a quiet day for freshmen receivers Kobe Prentice, Isaiah Bond, and Kendrick Law. This trio seems destined for future stardom, but none caught a pass against ULM. Amari Niblack surprised everyone by being the first of Alabama’s freshmen receivers to catch a touchdown pass. The first catch of Niblack’s career went for a 15-yard touchdown.

The Alabama receivers are still getting comfortable and settling into their roles. Like the running backs, they are still seeking an alpha (or multiple), but the abundance of weapons on this team is very promising.

Alabama Football Offensive Line: B+

The offensive line was not perfect, but it showed a lot of improvement. Kendall Randolph bumped back to blocking tight end, and Javion Cohen and Emil Ekiyor started at the guard positions, which most fans believe is the optimal lineup for this team. Seth McLaughlin got a lot of snaps at center as well, although Darrian Dalcourt got the start.

This group finally began to establish a dominant running game in the second half against ULM, which was the primary criticism of the offensive line through the first two games.

Alabama takes on Vanderbilt next week, and every facet of the offense should continue to improve.