Sugar Bowl Look Back: Grading the Alabama Football Offense

Alabama football closed out its 2022 season on the final day of the year, beating Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl. It was a great way to end the season for this team, and particularly for this offense.

With the exception of the Tennessee game, the Alabama offense struggled throughout October and November. In the six games following Bryce Young’s injury, the Crimson Tide managed to score more than 34 points just one time.

In its final two games, the Iron Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, Alabama scored 49 and 45 points. Young looked healthy in both of these games, and the Alabama offense looked like a different animal.

Alabama Football Quarterbacks: A+

Bryce Young’s final game wasn’t just a curtain call; the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner came to play. Young entered the day as a legitimate candidate to be the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. If anything, he managed to raise his stock in New Orleans.

Young threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns in the Sugar Bowl, many times making difficult throws look effortless. While it didn’t end in a national championship, Bryce Young’s finale was pretty close to ideal.

Alabama Football Running Backs: A

Jahmyr Gibbs was a difference-maker in his final Alabama football game as well. Gibbs didn’t score, but he made big plays on the ground and through the air en route to 142 total yards.

Junior running back Jase McClellan figures to take the torch at running back. He ran for 42 yards and a touchdown in the Sugar Bowl, his 10th total score of the season. McClellan is a complete back that could be a 1,000-yard runner next season.

Classmate Roydell Williams and true freshman Jamarion Miller helped to close the game out in the fourth quarter. Both ran very hard and were effective, with Miller breaking a 38-yard run late in the game.

Alabama Football Receivers: A-

Alabama’s receivers generated big plays all game. Jahmyr Gibbs’ 60-yard reception woke the Crimson Tide up and led to its first score of the game.

Junior Jermaine Burton got loose in the Kansas State secondary multiple times. He made receptions of 47 and 28 yards in the game, and could’ve made a couple more explosive plays.

Freshman Kobe Prentice broke several tackles and scored on a 47-yard catch-and-run to end the third quarter. Sophomore Ja’Corey Brooks caught a 32-yard touchdown pass, his team-leading eighth scoring grab of the season. Even tight end Cameron Latu made big plays, catching two passes of 20+ yards.

The inability to stretch the field was the biggest knock on this receiving corps all season. Most of the group that played in the Sugar Bowl will return in 2023. Hopefully they experienced some growth in New Orleans.

Alabama Football Offensive Line: A

The 2022 Alabama offensive line was never a dominant unit, but it was a steady group that got the job done more often than not. Alabama fans appreciated the line mostly because of how porous the 2021 offensive line was.

The Crimson Tide could not consistently run the ball throughout the season, and that trend continued at times in the Sugar Bowl.

While they didn’t always get a great push, the offensive line gave up just three tackles for loss. It also opened lanes to create big plays on the ground. On designed running plays, Alabama gained 185 yards on 30 attempts (6.2 yards per carry).

Most importantly, the offensive line kept Bryce Young clean, allowing just two sacks and zero hurries.

This was a great momentum game for the Alabama offense. While it will have a new field general under center in 2023, it returns several key pieces on the offensive line. Additionally, most of Alabama’s skill positions will remain intact.

This Sugar Bowl performance set the tone for one of the most important offseasons of the Nick Saban era.