Three advantages the South Florida defense no longer has
So much has been made of last season’s game between Alabama and South Florida in Raymond James Stadium.
Alabama fans are well aware that there were so many bizarre circumstances surrounding this game that the end result can hardly be considered a reliable data point.
However, the national narrative remains that USF “almost beat” Alabama. Sure, the Tide played one of the worst games of the Saban era. Still, I would not say that a 14-point win over a team that never threatened to score in the second half qualifies as a near-loss.
The 17 points Alabama scored against the Bulls is still its lowest total since the 44-16 national championship game loss to Clemson in 2018. There were several factors that made the USF defense successful, but most of them are no longer applicable.
Underwhelming quarterback play
Not to pile on the kid that started at quarterback for Alabama in this game a year ago, but it was obvious he was unprepared for the moment.
With little threat of a passing game, Alabama’s first five drives ended in punts and none of its first eight possessions gained more than 25 yards.
Clearly, Jalen Milroe is a much more dynamic player as both a passer and a runner. Not only is his skillset something USF has not seen, but he will be playing with an extra chip on his shoulder after being benched last season.
In addition to Milroe, Bama will field better players at almost every offensive skill position.
True freshman offensive tackle & fledgling offensive coordinator
Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor really struggled against the Bulls last season. Alabama may once again have a vulnerability at left tackle with Proctor now injured, but redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett should handle the responsibilities much better than a true freshman Proctor who was playing in his first-ever road game.
A lot of credit must be given to USF nickel corner Daquan Evans and the way the Bulls’ defensive staff deployed him. Evans went off for 8 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks against Alabama. He even gave eventual first-round pick JC Latham problems, so all of the blame can’t be placed on Proctor.
This performance was something of an anomaly for Daquan Evans. For reference, Evans finished his five-year USF career with 4.0 sacks, meaning he tallied just one sack in his 50 other appearances.
It seems like South Florida just saw something it could capitalize on in Alabama’s edge blocking scheme. Young OC Tommy Rees had his struggles throughout the 2023 season, and the USF game was particularly egregious.
Heading into the rematch, Evans is no longer on the roster and Alabama expects to be much more prepared offensively. Though offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan is also relatively inexperienced, he seems to have a much better support system in place with Coach Kalen DeBoer and co-OC JaMarcus Shephard on hand.
Monsoon conditions
Lastly, the weather conditions that caused extensive delays and equipment outages made a bad situation even worse for the Alabama offense. The Tide threw for just 107 yards in this abysmal weather, and USF didn’t fare any better with just 87 passing yards.
Both defenses had the advantage over the opposing offense in this game, but the conditions made both offenses one-dimensional and bogged the game down even further.
When South Florida comes to Tuscaloosa this weekend, they won’t have the benefit of tropical storm-like conditions. Even if they did, I think this iteration of the Bama offense with Jalen Milroe at the helm would run roughshod over them.
With the forecast looking pretty clear, the entire playbook should be available to Sheridan and Milroe, which is not good news for the USF defense.