Another year, another Alabama win over Georgia. Feels good, doesn’t it? Alabama legitimately owns those dudes.
Of course, Alabama beat Georgia last September and looked like the best team in the nation as they did. We all know how that turned out, so there is still much work to do. Still, let’s reflect a bit, shall we? Some impressions:
Ty Simpson looked like the best quarterback in the nation, for one half anyway
Simpson had been on fire in the two games leading up to this one, but the level of competition still led many to be skeptical about just how much he had grown. There
were no such questions at halftime of the Georgia game. Ty completed 65% of his first half passes, in that environment, for more than eight yards per completion and that doesn’t count two would-be explosives that hit Ryan Williams and Isaiah Horton in both hands. The one to Williams would have been a deep ball touchdown. Germie Bernard continues to be the star of this offense.
More impressive was the way he managed the offense. Alabama was able to use motions and shifts effectively, and communication didn’t appear to be a struggle despite the crowd noise. Lack of attention to detail has been a criticism early in the Kalen DeBoer era, but it was clear that Ty has developed as a field general, and in short order. He looked like a championship level quarterback.
Now, the second half of the game wasn’t quite as pretty from a passing perspective. He missed on a couple that he needed to hit. The completion percentage fell to a still-not-terrible 60%, but only 84 yards were gained on 15 tosses. The next test for this team will be consistency, and that has to start with Simpson.
Ryan Grubb was in his bag
Offensive coordinators can drive a sane man to drink, and that happened early in the game when Germie Bernard lost six yards on a pass option play when Alabama had been moving the ball. But, sometimes they also give you stuff like this.
Kadyn looked like Billy Bob from Varsity Blues out there. The carnage was amazing, and that play will be remembered for a long time. It also sets up a hell of a decoy opportunity.
Still, let’s hope that the trick plays are an occasional treat rather than a main course. The most impressive thing about that game for Alabama was the way that they passed the football. Grubb has undoubtedly had a big hand in that including Simpson’s rapid ascent, and we need that to continue. The way that the team was able to use motions and shifts to create advantages in that environment was impressive as well. Coaching is about what happens during the week and shows up in execution, and this offense executed better than we’ve seen in some time.
This Alabama team will probably never run the ball well, but the pass pro was outstanding
I had said leading up to the game that I didn’t think the return of Jam Miller would move the needle in the running game, and that unfortunately turned out to be the case. Miller and Kevin Riley each managed right at three yards per carry, which is abysmal. For whatever reason, this offensive line just struggles to open holes in the run game.
The good news is that the pass protection was awesome, and the Grubb/DeBoer offense has always been about lighting people up through the air. If Simpson and company are able to continue this upward trajectory, perhaps the lack of a running game won’t cost the team any games. That’s a lot of pressure on the quarterback to carry the offense, though.
The defense stood up when it mattered, but there are concerns
Getting Tim Keenan III back in the middle was supposed to help the interior run defense.
Woof.
Chauncey Bowens basically got whatever he wanted all game, averaging 9.9 yards on his 12 carries. This is where we will thank Kirby and Mike Bobo again for giving the ball to Cash Jones on 4th and 1, because Alabama was not likely to stop Bowens or power back Josh McCray in short yardage. The Dawgs were able to find room inside and outside, and the chart isn’t going to be pretty.
The pass defense was only marginally better. Gunner Stockton isn’t a terribly accurate downfield passer which helped a ton, and Georgia dropped a touchdown pass of their own on a busted coverage. Domani Jackson had a bad bust for Georgia’s first touchdown as well, and the pass rush was uneven at best. Losing Qua Russaw certainly didn’t help matters. Hopefully he isn’t out for an extended period, as the Wolf position is suddenly very thin. The defense will be without James Smith for the first half next week too, as he serves the rest of his targeting suspension.
Hopefully the shank won’t get into Conor Talty’s head
After plenty of negative buzz in the preseason, Conor Talty had looked great for the first three games. Even in this game, he was strong on his kickoffs, converted his extra points and the short field goal try without incident. That 43 yard attempt was awful, though. The headspace of a kicker can be a scary place. Here’s hoping that he is able to flush it and get back on track.
The SEC looks wide open after yesterday, and Alabama is right in the thick of it. The team we saw for the first half last night is the team that we were hoping for coming into the season. They played poorly in the opener and it cost them, but have looked like a team on a mission since. After escaping Athens with a win, something that few thought they’d be able to pull off, a special season could be back on the menu.
There can’t be any letting up if it is to happen though, and that starts next week against Vanderbilt.
Roll Tide.
