Once again, Alabama Football needs to use USF game as a springboard

For the second consecutive season, Alabama Football played so poorly and sloppily against the South Florida Bulls that it was hard to watch. All night long, the Crimson Tide was plagued by penalties, unforced turnovers, and generally undisciplined play.

To make matters worse, all of the excuses that helped Bama fans stomach last season’s game were not there. Alabama was in its home stadium with perfect football weather, and had its full assortment of weapons for the most part. 

Though the quarterback play was abysmal against USF last year, the ground game and the defense were so dominant that it never felt as though the Tide might lose. In this game, Alabama played poorly on both sides of the ball for long stretches, giving the Bulls legitimate hope well into the fourth quarter.  

The 2023 Alabama Football team used that ugly game in Tampa to springboard its way to an undefeated SEC record and a College Football Playoff berth. The 2024 squad will have to do the same, and it may have already made some progress in that direction. 

Alabama appeared to figure some things out in the final minutes of the game, outscoring South Florida 28-3 in the fourth quarter. 

Alabama offensive line goes Jekyll & Hyde against South Florida

For most of the game, the Alabama offensive line was a major liability. The unit couldn't create any holes in the run game and struggled to protect the passer in the face of the USF blitz. Even worse, it committed several costly penalties.

Most of these infractions came from redshirt freshman tackle Wilkin Formby and redshirt junior guard Geno VanDeMark, and at least three erased explosive plays by the Alabama offense.

With Elijah Pritchett replacing Formby at right tackle, the offense seemed to find some continuity. Consequently, Jalen Milroe got some time to throw and seemingly regained his confidence after looking lost for much of the first three quarters. Finally, Alabama got the running backs rolling with some explosive runs to cap the night. 

Going forward, Bama has to establish an offensive identity and it starts with the offensive line. Ideally, Kadyn Proctor will be ready to go at left tackle, allowing Tyler Booker to return to his natural spot at guard. Even with an injured ankle, Elijah Pritchett needed just seven snaps to make a definitive claim for the right tackle position. 

Maybe Wilkin Formby just had a bad day, but he will have to do a lot of good to get back in the good graces of the fan base and perhaps the coaching staff.  

The relationship between Jalen Milroe and the Alabama offensive line

Jalen Milroe’s pocket presence and composure continue to need work. Milroe tends to only leave the pocket going to his right, which has become predictable for opposing defenses. Even with his speed and explosive ability, opponents can contain him easily when he only uses one side of the field.

He can also be too quick to abandon a play, especially in third down situations. While Milroe dumping the ball is better than a turnover in most situations, he has to find a better way to extend plays and keep drives alive. There’s no way for Milroe and this Crimson Tide offense to build a rhythm when they are just stacking three & outs. 

Because of all these reasons, Jalen Milroe needs the offensive line to play well. His skillset really holds him back when the offense is one-dimensional and the opposing defense is sending pressure. 

Milroe and the offensive line must work in harmony to make sure the Alabama offense runs smoothly, because the stagnation it has periodically experienced over the last two seasons is tough to watch. Needless to say, there are good teams that Alabama will not beat if it plays like it did yesterday.

Hopefully, Alabama’s fourth quarter performance is a more accurate indication of what the offense will look like when it heads up to Madison for big showdown with Wisconsin next week.

More post-game coverage of Alabama's 42-16 win over USF: