Crimson Red Sports

AU vs Bama

This is one I didn’t want to write.  It was a game where yac’s were important.  The first yac was the yardage after the catch for AU.  The 2nd yac was yards after contact which mean missed tackles.  It was also a game where AU made open field tackles at crucial times.  Probably some of the most important plays were penalties called on AU.  The first pass interference probably saved a touchdown and most definitely kept Bama out of the red zone.  Bama ended up punting on this drive.  The 2nd pass interference call probably saved a touchdown and it was a drive that ended with a missed field goal.  AU had an outstanding game plan for Bama and executed it to perfection.  I know some people question the game plan, but I don’t know what was seen in film. 

OFFFENSE:   The offense put together 377 yards of total offense, but it is a bit misleading because 65 came on the final play of the game.    Bama only had 128 yards in the first half and 248 in the second half, but again 65 of that came on the final play.  They had 209 rushing and 168 passing.  As far as negative plays, Bama had 2 sacks, 3 tackles for losses, and 3 fumbles, one which was lost.  One sack could have been avoided if Hurts had thrown the ball away.  I credit Bama with 3 three and outs Bama only got in the red zone and missed the field goal on a bad snap.  The two touchdowns came from outside the red zone.   For play over 10 yards, Bama had 4 passes and 6 runs.   AU looked more physical on the LOS and attacking lead blocks by the backs on Hurts runs. 

QB:   Hurts had and up and down game.  He made some good throw on the plays where the pass interference was called.  He made a bad decision when he didn’t get rid of the ball and ran out of bounds for a sack.  Hurts also fumbled when he didn’t secure the ball on a scramble when flushed out of the pocket. He was extremely lucky there wasn’t an interception when he threw the ball across his body trying to make a play.  I wonder if his height is one reason he leaves the pocket so soon.  I do know he was flush many times and the receivers didn’t get separation. 

RB: As a group, the backs averaged 6.77 yards per carry.  They did well running on the edge and catching the ball.   They were blown up a couple of times when they were the lead blocker for Hurts.  Also they missed some chip shots on pass blocking assignments. 

Rec:   From the angle on TV it looked like the receiver didn’t get a lot of separation during the night.  They did on the PI plays I mentioned above.  Foster didn’t get enough yard to keep a drive alive on the 4th down play which is a mental mistake.  Also, Ridley, since he is a top receiver, should have made the catch on 3rd down on one 3 and out which would have kept the drive alive.  It probably would have allowed Bama to keep the ball long enough where AU would not have been able to kick a field goal right before half.  It also seems that the receivers didn’t do a very good job with the scramble drill. 

OL:  Again, they had an up and down game.  They were attacked by the DL of AU and beat many times.  However, the did a good job, at times, pulling on the counter plays.  Pass blocking was a problem as many got beat.  AU was also able to put pressure on the QB with only 4 rushing.  This is a big game where they needed to have a huge game. 

Defense:  There were many mistakes here especially with missing tackles and taking blocks on with the wrong shoulder.  Here are some very important stats.  First on balls thrown 0 to 5 yards from the LOS the AU quarterback was 14 for 14.  What is bad here is the yards made after the catch.  I didn’t chart the total yards here, but I know some of them went for over 10 yards and some went for over 20 yards. They were willing to settle for positive plays on these passes.  However, the did better than that.    On passes between 5 and 10 yards, he was 6 for 8, again the yards after the catch hurt.  On passes of over 10 yards, he was 1 for 8.  The AU QB also made some big runs because of mistakes made by Bama.  They missed at least one sack and left their rushing lanes and allowed him to make good yardage.  The defense gave up a total of 477 yards which included 168 rushing and 237 passing.  They only averaged 3.4 yards per rush.  They averaged about 10.4 yards per completion but again they were thrown underneath and it was the yards after the catch that hurt.  They had 11 pass plays that went for over 10 yards and 6 running plays that covered that distance.  As far as negatives, they 1 sack, 5 tackles for losses and lost a fumble.  The fumble was huge since it was inside the 10 yards line.  They got into the red zone 5 times scoring 3 touchdowns, kicking a field goal, and fumbling which Bama recovered.  They kicked one field goal from outside the red zone. 

DL:   They played well most of the time.  The problem was AU was getting rid of the ball quickly.  When they did take a deeper drop they were able to get some pressure, but the missed a couple of sack opportunities and got out of their rushing lanes which allowed AU’s QB to escape and make big positive yardage.  Sometimes they rushed too far up the field and allowed him to step up to escape. 

LB:  They led the team with tackles, but they also made mistakes.  Evans probably should have had the rec on the jump pass as there probably should have been a switch off with the corner since someone went to the outside at the corner.  Evans also got pinned on one big run by not keeping his outside shoulder free.  Moses led the team with tackles and missed a couple.  I know they missed, or wasn’t in a position to hit the crossing receivers on the short routes which help them move the chains several times.  It seemed they showed their blitzes too early and some of those routes were probably hot reads by the receiver. 

DB:  As far as deep balls they only connected on one and it was more in the middle of the field if my memory serves me right.  They had to chase receivers across the field which is extremely tough.  If you are going to do that it is better if you can jam him and keep him from going inside to what is usually and easier throw.  The DB’s had to play the short wide receiver screen game.  Some tackles were made and some weren’t. 

Special Teams:  Scott punted and kicked off pretty well as there were no real issues.  The bad snap on the field goal attempt was something that took points off the board for Bama.  The kick-off return team set Bama up in great field position. At this point Bama was trailing 20-14 and was in position to score since Diggs returned the kick-off 55 yards to the AU 40.  This is also where the PI call help AU.

Penalties:  Bama had 8 penalties for 60 yards and they came at the most inopportune time for Bama.  A nice gain on a screen was negated by a block/clip by Williams on a screen to Bo.  They went from a 2nd and 8 to a first and 23.  This is the drive Hurts fumbled on.  An illegal substitution by Bama gave AU a 1s and 5 instead of a 2nd and 10 on the drive they kicked a field goal what made the score 14-13.  A delay of game in the red zone pushed Bama back from a 3rd and 4 to a 3rd and nine on the drive they missed the field goal.  On 4th and 3 Bama jumps offside on the punt to allow AU to use more clock towards the end of the game.  These were huge penalties.

Finally, this was a game where mistakes were magnified.  It was a game where the OL needed to come up big and didn’t.  It was a game where Bama may not have run the ball enough.  It was also, a game where AU made plays both on offense and defense. 

Feel free to comment:

16 and Counting

Yeah, not a lot of positives, Coach. Not much to add here, other than that if we make the playoffs, we must be better prepared. We also need Damien Harris pounding the rock more.

There was only one positive I took from this game. We will be getting a new center next year. Matter of fact I wouldn't let the one now ever play again. RTR!

I almost felt like if Bama didn't make at least 5 yards a carry the coaches gave up on the running game.

Bad part is that wasn't all on the center.  Bo actually clapped his hands on one play where the ball was snapped early.

Thanks, Coach.  Great analysis!

A couple of questions:

With the 6.7 yards per carry why didn't we run more?

Thoughts on Harris not getting more carries?

I've seen a lot of fan chatter today about Hurts and his play.  I thought he was about as good as anyone else on our side of the ball and, yes, he was up and down, but so were the rest of our guys.  I mean, in two seasons he's had two losses.  Are the calls for benching even close to justified?

Anyhow, on to the playoffs or the bowl game.  ROLL TIDE!!!

I don't think the calls for Hurts is justified.  Just think if the two PI calls had been completions maybe even touchdowns.  As far as running the ball, I just mentioned above that it seems the coaches give up if they are consistently making at least 5 yards a carry.

Great analysis and summary, Coach.
The one thing that bugs me about this year is that our problems on O and D seem to be chronic. CNS says at his conferences that they are working on fixing the various issues but they appear in game after game. I know we have players hurt and maybe the coaches are doing the best they can with what they have. The problem I see is if we get lucky and get into the CFP I’m  wondering if we can expect major improvement. I have confidence in our coaches. We just can’t seem to get over that hurdle. Any ideas on why we seem to not quite get there?

I thought the DL played Ok with the limited players.  I am wondering if there may be a change at OL coach after this year.  I think the OL has shown signs of being good at times, but it is the  absence of consistency. 

Thanks for the analysis coach.  I couldn't understand why Bama abandoned the run, especially after the initial drive in the second half.

Auburn also seemed to get away with contact on the Bama RECs, and interfered, probably intentionally, when beaten on deep ball.  Maybe next time Bama should run the edge more and attack deep -- no need for a completion if Auburn interferes.

I'm sure the PI's were intentional.  15 yards vs touchdowns is a no brainer.  Also, you mentioned the contact, I saw a couple of hold that were not called. 

1. You got it, coach: YACS.   :facepalm:

2.
Yes, and those crossing patterns take time.  When the D-line doesn't pressure the QB, my dead grandma can throw a pretty pass.

3. The Monday morning, "Why didn't we run more?"  The plays are called depending on defense, AND on the O-line.  We had injuries during the game that adversely affected the blocking schemes and ability to pull.  Boogs played much man defense.  Refs didn't seem interested in calling holding penalties on DBs.  Even 2 can guard Ridley if allowed to tug his jersey every play.

E-cred on an excellent analysis, coach.   :worship:

Wow!  When I first read that I thought, "Yeah, right!  :eyeroll:  " but then I got to thinking about our fishing trip in Spring 2016 when he caught the gull.  If he can catch a seagull then surely he could at least get a hand on Ridley's jersey as he runs by... 

First of all let me say, you have done an outstanding job of breaking down each of our games again this season as you have done for so many times previously and all of us here on this board really appreciate your hard work.  GREAT JOB!

Secondly, those short 0 to 5 yard throws, if I am not mistaken aren't those basically just "timing" throws where the qb knows who he is going to throw the ball to, when (almost immediately), and where on the field?  I would also like to see what the down and distance was on each of those plays but I'm not asking you to do that.  My thinking is, many times this season our DB's have been beaten on 3rd down to convert for 1st down by these types of plays.  If these truly are timing plays then it seems that the corners need to play tighter to the LOS and try to jam the WR's as the ball is snapped thereby throwing off the timing from the qb to make the throw.  This could also potentially provide more opportunities to get INT's.  Thoughts?

 :lol2:  If he had Prothro's hamstring!

Not only did I catch a seagull, I ran down a fishing rod being pulled into the Gulf by a ray, at a hot 3 MPH.  8)

Well one thing for sure the great stats on these pages are good. Why can't we take that auburn image off our site? RTR!

and if Gary Danielson can call the jump pass TD..I figure the staff did not study the film very well...or else the DB had his head where the sun don't shine...maybe both.

Thanks HC Coach for all you've done this year.

The crossing routes, at times, were set up with motion and having a chance of a rub with another rec helps put the DB in a trail position.  It is also difficult because it gives the rec and option to go out or in along with making it difficult to jam the rec.

There was one play I really noticed where the rec took off and was almost turned completely around by the grab by the defensive player.  If I recall it was on the drive where Bama missed the opportunity for the field goal.  He was the inside rec.

The DB was put in a bind on this play.  AU motioned someone out to the DB's side.  The rec went inside and  if he had gone with him the motion man would have been wide open.  I wonder if Bama was misaligned or Evans didn't get a switch call telling him he had the rec coming inside. 

The reason there are 15 is I included the jump pass.  Eleven of the plays were in the first half. 

14 for 14 chart:
1.    1st and 10 ball on 25 gain of 1
2.   2nd and 9 ball on 26 gain of 10 missed tackle
3.   1st and 10 ball on the 36/37 gain of 3 ball on the 49
4.   1st and 10 ball on the 6  gain of 4
5.   1st and 10 ball on Bama’s 48 gain of 23 Bama missed tackle and thought he went out of bounds
6.   1st and 10 ball on the Bama’s 30 no gain
7.   2nd and 10 ball on the Bama’s 30 throwback screen gain of 4
8.   3rd and 6 ball on the Bama’s 21 screen gain of 10
9.   3rd and 2 ball on Bama’s 3 jump pass for TD. 
10.   1st and 10 ball on Bama’s 44 gain of 11 missed tackle
11.   1st and 10 ball on the 20 AU QB realizing he is going to be sacked and flips the ball to RB and no gain but saves 12 yards of what would have been a sack.
12.   3rd and 6 ball on Bama’s 45 crossing route gain of 23
13.   3rd and 8 Ball on Bama’s 20 crossing route gain of 2
14.   3rd and 3 ball on 28 crossing route Wilson misses the knock down and gain of 23
15.   1st and 5 ball on Bama’s 47 gain of 7 ball on the 39.

Evans should have picked that up. Must have missed a call or got caught up with eye candy.

hscoach, my main concern - and it is not just with this game, but most of the games with good competition this year - is OL and DL play. Our OL has been inconsistent all year - very frustrating. Also, the DL has surprisingly been bullied at times. They are not eating up blocks and letting LBs make plays, and at times are getting driven off the ball. I know we lost a lot to graduation/pros, but dang it man, not used to seeing this from a Bama defense.

It is the OL more than the DL to me.  Up until this game Bama had/has one of the top defenses in the country.  The OL inability to move the ball at times has caused the D to have to play more downs.  You add the injuries to that and the play won't be as consistent.  Also consider the youth that is there and didn't get a lot of playing time last year.  All in all , AU, one of the top running team, only averaged 3.4 yards per carry.  It should have been less if the missed tackles had been made and not allowing the QB to scramble.  The OL does great one play then the next acts like it is their first game and has never seen a blitz or stunt.  Pass blocking has been suspect a lot of the year, however, Hurts has bailed them out several times during the year.  While I am talking about Hurts bailing them out, I don't remember if I mentioned it, but I don't think the  receivers did a very good job on what we call the scramble drill against AU. 

Danielson said he saw them practice the play during prep for the Iron Bowl.

Thanks for the good work, Coach. Great job all year. All in all, I thought it was a poor performance by Alabama. Sure the RB's had a good average per carry, but when we needed a yard, we didn't get it. IMHO, Bama misses a stud running back that can be counted on to get yardage. I think either Bo, Damien, or Najee might be that back, but the constant rotating in and out destroys their rhythm. Hurts just doesn't scare anyone with his passing. He may put up big numbers against over matched opponents, but stronger teams just crowd the line, rush the passer, and force mistakes. I would have loved to see Tua given a shot, now I just hope he doesn't transfer. Coaching and game plan was just awful! Did Daboll even look at any AU game film? Did Pruitt? Sad to say, but our offense looked old, tired, and out of date. Maybe it works in the pros where everyone is the same. I sure hope Saban gets rid of Daboll after the season!

Correct.  That does make it a little easier to "predict" too.  :lol2:

Instead of Daboll, I think it should be the OL coach.  The AU DL was hitting the OL in the mouth.  As bad as Bama played they were a couple of plays, like the PI call, from being in a closer game and then could AU have handled it?  AU, as I said, did a great job on one on one tackles, especially on Hurts.  

Auburn was scared to death of the deep ball.  Jalen threw 2 bombs to Ridley that would have been TDs, except Auburn adopted a strategy of just tackling Ridley before he can catch the ball.  We probably did not expect that to be their defensive game plan.  I know it caught me off guard.

It was a well designed play.  With the formation you had a 1 on 1 with the outside rec.  There was and H back to that side lined up and Evans was over him.  Then they sent the man in motion to that side.  You now have 3 eligible receivers to that side and a running back at QB.  The wide rec went inside however, Wallace had to take the man that had come in motion to that side.  I still wonder if the D may have been misaligned, or didn't bump properly with the motion.

As long as the rule is the way it is, that is a great strategy for the D since they only give up 15 yards as opposed to a touchdown. 

watching the jump pass again here was the formation:

                  
                               TE G C G T T              REC
QB            REC                           HB
                                       RB

the inside rec came in motion toward the outside rec making it a trips formation.  Harrison was over the motion rec and didn't go all the way over.  I guess he stopped because of the TE which I not sure who had.  The snap of the ball when the rec crossed the formation.  Wallace had to take the motion rec and the player he was over went inside.  I wonder if Harrison was supposed to come all the way over the formation because if not Evans would have had to have the rec who came inside and the HB.  Also he was keyed in on the run.  A well designed play, especially if the D is misaligned.

Agreed.  You don't see it often though as a strategy.  They basically conceded that they weren't going to win that battle and just took advantage of the rule.  I think we should have countered with just sending Ridley on a fly every few plays and accepting their free gift of 15 yards.  After a few of those they would be forced to knock it off.

Only problem with that is that the ref may not make the call.  I saw a few that were not called.  When you see a rec coming off the ball and is almost turned around because he is being grabbed, that is a pretty good indication of a hold.

Well one thing for sure auburn came to play smash mouth football and we didn't. RTR!