Alabama Football: Offense shows progress, room to improve in Starkville
![Sep 9, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban cheers on his players before their game against the Texas Longhorns at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports Sep 9, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban cheers on his players before their game against the Texas Longhorns at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/61646220fc138dc48ae9484bf2f2bd1224148d0afc2fee94be4f0930b3d0b3af.jpg)
Alabama Football Offensive Line: B
The Alabama offensive line is progressing every week as a run blocking unit, and produced nearly five yards per carry on traditional running plays. It has been well-stated that this is a huge, physically-imposing group, and its strength will likely always be the ground game.
It is also showing marginal improvement in pass protection. It surrendered four sacks once again, a number that must continue to dwindle. Quarterback Jalen Milroe is still too quick to leave the pocket at times, and reliably causes one or two sacks a game by taking off with nowhere to go.
It would be nice to see Milroe phase this out of his game, but losing a couple yards is far better than a turnover. My point is that the offensive line wasn’t directly responsible for four sacks, and gave Milroe clean pockets and plenty of time for the most part.
This Bama offensive line is a unit that has slowly gotten better every game. It may have to make a significant jump this week, as it might be facing its toughest test of the regular season.
Texas A&M possesses one of the best and deepest defensive fronts in the nation, a collective that has racked up 30 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in two games against SEC competition.
The A&M D-Line rotates frequently and is always fresh, and it will come after this Bama offense on every snap. Playing on the road in College Station will only make the job that much tougher on a group that has also had issues with penalties and shotgun exchanges.
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Any questions we still have about the Alabama Football offensive line could be answered definitively at Kyle Field, and their performance will largely determine how the offense functions as a whole.