It started out as a bright sunny hot day and finished with a 45 minute delay for a thunderstorm. I think the players were ready for the rain though due to the heat but they came back after the lightning and rain and had a pretty good finish working on the two minute and red zone drills.

The scrimmage started with a very salty defense pretty much controlling the offense whether it was passing or running the ball. Hurts led the first offense in the beginning and there wasn't much there for them as the defense stuffed the runs and the defensive backs had some pretty good coverage on the receivers. Tua then got his turn and had a little more success than Hurts but still the defense stopped pretty much everything. Later on though, the offense was able to get going and make some positive plays and took it to the defense on a couple of good pass receptions with good runs to the end zone. It took a while but the running backs finally got their game going and and made it tough on the defense. Bo Scarbrough and Josh Jacobs both missed the practice with Scarbrough being ill in bed and Jacobs with the hamstring problem. CNS stated that Scarbrough has been very ill and Jacobs return is on a day to day basis. Damien Harris and Brian Robertson looked the most impressive of the running backs. I really like Brian Robertson, he runs like he enjoys what he's doing and I'm not taking anything from Harris, he's Mr. Steady.

The kicking game showed some improvement and CNS stated that J K Scott will handle all of the kicking duties. He elaborated on the new kicker, Joseph Bulovas, and said he just isn't ready to handle the job just yet. I will say though that Bulovas made two good kicks from about 40 yards out in the driving rain so I think he might work his way into the lineup down the road. Scott was a beast out there today, his punts must have had 6 seconds hang time with and average length of better than 50 yards. He also made a field goal of 50-55 yards with room to spare. His one bad kick was a block, it was a long attempt and he kicked it a little low trying to get the distance. The one thing that worries me about Scott handling the kicking duties is him doing the kickoffs. Scott has long legs and I know the opposing teams know that too, they are easy targets.

 The quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts led the team off and I think he looked very so-so. I stated the defense was pretty salty in the beginning and I know they had a lot to do with how he looked and I'm referring to his passing game. He had two receivers open on long routes and threw short on both with one being intercepted. He just didn't seem sharp to me but I'm looking through a different pair of glasses than CNS is. Later on in the practice he did do better and had a few passes dropped and they were for big gains too. I thought Tua had a better start than Hurts and I'm still impressed with his field savy. He seems to see more of the field than Hurts but again CNS is wearing a different set of glasses than I am. I do like these two as a combo and I think the team is in a much better shape at quarterback than they were at this time last year. Jones had his reps and had some good effort but I think he is a little behind Hurts and Tua but CNS is giving him plenty of reps to improve his game.

I think the offensive line has a ways to go or we have a bad nasty defensive line. I would like to think it was a bad nasty defensive line that was causing all their blocking problems but I'm not so sure of that. CNS did mention the OL has a ways to go yet

I don't know how good this team will be this year as they have lots of talent but I don't see the leadership this team has had the past two years. We all know what good leadership means to a Bama team, if it's not there the team usually struggles. CNS was asked about who the alphas were on the team this year and he didn't jump out with player names like he has in the past. CNS pointed out that Florida State has their whole defense returning from last year and this would really challenge the Bama offense so I guess Bama will find out real quick where they stand. They have the talent but I'm not so sure where they are mentally, all of those big ole mean leaders they had last year are gone. Maybe I'm being a bit too skeptical but just who are the Alphas on this team?

It was a hot muggy afternoon but the fans and players both seemed to handle the heat well. The players seemed to be well conditioned and had lots of energy. There was no standing around for any of the players as they were divided up into different groups and were really active.

I was most impressed with the defensive secondary tackling drill as they were working on keeping their heads up as they made their tackles to prevent any targeting penalties. The most heated session was the the offensive and defensive line blocking/tackling using a running back. There were some good licks passed by both sides of the line and a shifty moves by the running backs, fun to watch.

The QBs and receivers worked pretty much by themselves and both of them had to be awful after practice, lots of passes thrown by all of the QBs and lots of routes run by the receivers.

The REC will watch the August 19th scrimmage and I'm really looking forward to that. I didn't see anybody limping around or on crutches so hopefully all is well with the injury list. Anyway, football has returned and Bama seems to be ready for it.

After much speculation by the fans as to what Bama football might be like with the addition of Tua Tagovailoa and some other highly rated offensive prospects to the team, they didn't get disappointed yesterday. From the opening series of plays to the last play of the game, the fans weren't cheated of offensive fireworks that they all came to see. Now those that came to see an angry defense stifle any offense that Jalen and Tua might have to offer, that didn't happen and I'm glad as this was a fun day planned for the fans and most left the stadium talking about all the "what ifs" for next years team. The defense got a couple of black eyes in the game but they had their moments too. I think the defense will only get better as they  have to practice against all of this offense Bama has to offer now. The receivers really took it to the defensive backs with some great routes and catches but again, that's not all that bad as the DBs should get better having to practice against the "gazelles" that we watched yesterday. You might want to pencil in the name Jerry Judy on your "to remember" list for next season's team, he is the real deal. Also I want to mention Robert Foster. Here is a young man that came to Bama four years ago with lots of high explosive promise for the team but injuries have plagued him since his first year and now he is finally healthy for his senior year and showcasing those good abilities that he has. If he can stay healthy, he will add a lot to the offense this next season.

It's a given that there is still a lot of work to do on the offensive line and defensive secondary but I think the film of the game will give the players and coaches a lot to work with between now and August when the team arrives for next season. I didn't see any major injuries from yesterday so maybe we can start the next season injury free which is unusual from the past few years.

The question now is what kind of team will we see next season? Will Bama be  more offensive minded since the Clemson loss in the championship game or will they stay with their traditional game control offensive schemes which is what Nick Saban prefers. Clemson beat a good Bama defense for the National Championship with an outstanding show of offense that wore the good Bama defense down in the last quarter of the game. Is this the new trend in college football as so many teams are now scoring lots and lots of points each game and not worrying about how many they give up, just score more than your opponent theory. At the end of last season I would say definitely no to this theory for Bama but after seeing what Bama will have to offer offensively this coming season, I'm not so sure as what to think Bama might offer up for the next season. The old saying, "if you can't beat them you might as well join them" theory might well come into play as so many teams are now highly explosive offenses that score many points which make it impossible to try and defend them and hold them under 21 points a game. I can remember the Bear Bryant days when he would figure the team would have to score 10 points to win the game as they were not going to give up 7 points or more but the game has changed.

This is all nothing but pure speculation but is something that all of us Bama fans can think about for the next few months, will Coach Nick Saban change his philosophy of how he coaches his team? I say it's a good chance but knowing Coach Nick Saban, the defense will still be a trademark of his team but maybe in a different way. Until August arrives, I guess we can have a little fun visualizing all of the "what ifs" this team may offer next season after the big fireworks display yesterday and the CNS interviews might get a little more interesting as well.

« Last Edit: Today at 08:00:50 AM by Jamos »   

This is what you would call a plain vanilla spring game.  Very little motion on the offensive side of the ball and very little blitzing by the defense. 

QB’S:  They both threw some nice deep balls. I also saw a couple of behind the rec throws especially on the shorter routes.  It is like they are guiding the short throws instead of letting them go.  They both got away with a couple of throws that could/should have been picked.  Jones looked more nervous in his beginning reps but seem to settle down later.  It is a lot easier to throw the ball down field when the coverages don’t change very much and the D is no blitzing and stunting.  You could really tell a difference in the QB play when the D did start some blitzing.

RB’S:  They are loaded here.  I really like the patience of Harris, but then he burst to the opening or into contact.  It also looks like Harris can be a valuable rec coming out of the backfield.

REC’S:  Again they are loaded in this area.  Ridley, Foster. Jeudy, and Smith stood out to me. 

OL:  It is very hard to tell much about them. You really don’t know how well they can play when you must handle twist and stunts from a defensive front.  They have to be a lot more communication in the OL when the previous happens.

DL:  Plenty of numbers here and the QB’s got the ball out pretty quick in the begging.  Even with the vanilla fronts they did, along with the LB’s have at least 8 sacks.  They really didn’t give up and huge runs except for the scramble by Hurts.

LB’S:  Miller showed a good burst and looks like he could be a force coming off the edge.   Hall made a big play on the interception.

DB’S:   Lot of new faces.  People seemed to be concerned with this group, but understand they will be helped when the D front is allowed to come with the different stunt and blitz packages.  They did seem to be in position most of the times and only a couple of perfect throws made them look worse than they were.  They did close fast on most of the receptions.  They were also unlucky a couple of times when the rec’s caught a couple of tipped passes.

Overall, I think they are going to be in pretty good shape for the upcoming year. 

What a fun day it was at the scrimmage yesterday, I'm glad I read my emails and didn't miss it. It was a good day for a scrimmage as the air was cooler and the players seemed ready for some live action.

There was a big crowd there yesterday with a lot of anticipation and for good reason, everyone wanted to see Tua and what he had to offer. You can trust me on this, no one left disappointed with the quarterback situation as was the case last year at this time. Let's not leave out Mac Jones either, he looked like a freshman but I thought he improved toward the end of the scrimmage especially on his deep throws but let's give the receivers some credit too as they made some very good receptions, something that haunted the team at the end of last season with a lot of dropped balls.

The defense looked the stronger of the teams but that is usually the case at this time of the year. The offensive line still has some work to do pass blocking on the ends, something that really hurt us last year. Another bright spot for the offense yesterday was the running backs. Scarborough and Jacobs wasn't there which gave the young ones a chance to show their skills and a couple of them didn't disappoint the fans. The one that got the most oohs and aahs was freshman Brian Robinson (24) from Hillcrest High School here in Tuscaloosa. He gave the defense all they wanted with his power and agility on his runs. Najee Harris had some good runs as well with his quickness on his cuts and the ability to get extra yards after being hit.

Now, the kicking game. J K Scott is still J K Scott as he was booming the ball on his punts. The problem now is what about field goals. Yesterday the transfer from Ole Miss  and Scott were the only two field goal kickers available as the recruited kicker has not arrived yet.  I thought both did well on short and mid range kicks but not so well from a long distance. J K Scott is a phenom kicker and by the fall I think he will be ready to answer the call for the duty of being the kicker if needed. Hopefully the new kicker will fill the bill though when he arrives.

Now the excitement of the day came when CNS addressed our group with his analysis of the scrimmage. He seemed in a good mood and felt they came away with some questions answered of where the team is right now. When it came to the question and answer time is when the big moment of the day happened. I don't think I have ever thought of CNS being at a loss of words until yesterday. He was quick to say he had just left meeting with the press and that usually means he's a little irritated so be careful with your questions. Everything was going as usual with the questioners until this 13-14 year old boy asked him would Jalen Hurts be the starting QB next year. He started to fire back but realized it was a young man this time and not the press. He started to answer and then just looked from side to side of the room trying to think of how to answer this young man without biting his head off. The audience realized this the room burst with laughter. This lasted for 3-4 minutes and a big smile came on his face, he knew he had been had, it was too funny. He gave the young man a very good answer that at this time of the season there is no depth chart but he did tell him that it was Hurt's job to lose. A round of applause was then given the coach for his answer. Coach also added in his answer that Miss Terrie was the QB coach and she would probably make that decision when the time comes. It was a classic moment that we will all remember.

Anyway the first scrimmage is over with a lot of promise from a fans point of view and I think the coaches left with something to work with in preparation for A Day. It should be well worth the trip to Bryant Denny April 22nd to watch Jalen and Tua battle it out on A Day as well as Mac Jones showcasing some of his skills at the QB position as well.

I got back last night from spending Friday and Saturday in Nashville at the SEC Tournament. What a great time we had. Saw some very good games. We had planned to go regardless if Alabama was playing or not. Well, Bama got on a hot streak and played three very good games. We beat a good South Carolina team on Friday afternoon. We played well but came up a little short against UK. I thought we played well. We make UK beat us, we did not beat ourselves. UK's Fox made some tremendous shots when we needed a stop late in the game. We were one play away from beating UK IMO. The shot that stands out to me was a missed open three from the corner by Ingram. It was late and would have given us a one point lead. I am not knocking Ingram. He played great. Our entire team left everything they had on the floor.

Some random thoughts:

I have been a fan of CAJ since he was hired. He is coaching his rear end off during games. He knows when to take a time out. He is calling players over for a short huddle during the first free throw of a 2 shot foul. He makes offensive - defensive substitutions late in games. He never sits down. Constantly barking out orders and the team listens. He is a coach we can built our program around. Coach Pelphrey is very active too. More than I notice when watching games on TV.

We had floor level seats right behind the basket both days. A very good view of the game. I saw 6 games. Alabama and UK were the only two teams that constantly played above the rim. I am not talking about a play here or there. The entire game. Not just the big guys either. Norris and Ingram are a big part of our rebounding strength. We were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league under Grant. We were not good last year. CAJ made it a point of emphasis to improve our rebounding this year and we are the best in the league. We beat UK on offensive and defensive rebounds yesterday. We are aggressive. We go up high and fight for the ball.

After the Bama game we went to the SEC hospitality lounge to get something to eat. While there Coach Pettway game in. He walked by where we were sitting and I got his attention by saying "Hey Coach". He walked over and we talked for a few minutes. Very nice guy. I told him I thought we were going to win. He said the team is pretty dejected right now. They thought they could beat UK. He said they were taking it hard. They did not want a moral victory they wanted to win. I asked him about next year. I asked if Sexton and Petty are the players we are hearing they are. I loved his response. He looked me dead in the eyes and nodded yes and said "They are good kids too". I asked about Ohio State transfer Giddens. He said he is going to be good. He will bring offense to the post position we have been missing. Coach Pettway is a very impressive young man. I really enjoyed him giving me a few minutes of his time.

The Big Blue Nation loves their basketball. I do not know how many was at the game. The arena was packed. My guess 20,000 and over 15,000 were UK fans. Keep in mind this was a four team event and one of the teams was Nashville's own Vandy. There was just a small amount of red and both Bama and Arkansas were playing.

Bridgestone Arena is a great venue.

With 4 games to go in their regular season, 2 at home and 2 on the road, and then the SEC tournament following, can this Bama team find a way to make it to the Big Dance. There are some saying it is possible and there are more saying it is very doubtful. The SEC is not as strong of a conference this year as it has been in past years but there are some saying that it is very possible for 5 teams from the conference to make it to the tournament. As we all know, the SEC will get no favors from the Tournament Committee as history will support that and Bama will have to almost win the last 4 games of their regular season to get any kind of possibility of getting in. I say that in realizing of the things that have happened in the selections of past years.

There is one difference in the team this year that might add some weight to the decision making of the committee, Avery Johnson. CAJ has gotten a lot of love from the game commentators all season and even yesterday, Dick Vital was praising CAJ and how he will bring the program back to the top again. That is high praises coming from the right places that might give the team a little slack when the selections begin.

CAJ has had his hands full this year in trying to get the team to perform to their capabilities. The team has looked awful for the most part this year with less than average shooting and turnovers. If the team had been just an average team in shooting their free throws, I think they would have won enough games, Kentucky in mind, that would have them solid in making the tournament. That is all hindsight though and something good needed to happen for the team to find some new energy and possibly win their way in and maybe that has happened.

Bama played LSU yesterday, a team that isn't that good and Bama was favored by 13 points. This year, point spreads hasn't meant much to the team especially if they were favored, because of their up and down performances. CAJ has addressed his decisions to change the practices to help at the free throw line but how do you correct the turnovers, that is basically mental issues. Well, he did something that most fans have been asking for for a long time, he indefinitely suspended Hale. There was one other thing that CAJ changed as well. Mama has seemed to be a better team on the road than they have been at home all year for what ever reason. I stated earlier that turnovers are usually mental mistakes and why is it that the team plays better on the road than they do at home. My opinion is they are in an indifferent environment when they are on the road prior to the game, a hotel. It sounds a little crazy but CAJ picked up on this and the team stayed in a hotel Friday night instead of at their own place of living. Did it make a difference yesterday, I think it did. The team played with an intensity, on both ends of the court, that the fans have not seen in Coleman this year. Granted that LSU is not a very good team but Bama has struggled at home all season regardless of who they were playing.

This being said, we can only wait for the next home games to come and see how the team responds to the changes on the team. Will the team stay in a hotel for the next home game, I think so because they won so convincingly and coaches  are a little superstitious when it comes to winning and losing. Bama has win both home games and winning one on the road would be great as well. I think it would then boil down to how many Bama can win in the SEC tournament, maybe one would do it.

Anyway, for a team that seemed to have no chance in making the Big Dance this year, there is now some hope it might just happen. The team, as a whole, got a glimpse of how well they are capable of playing yesterday and they need to ask themselves, did the changes that CAJ made make that difference in their level of play. They need to buy into anything at this point in time that seems to make a difference regardless of what it is. I also think that the removal of the cancer on the team, Hale, might have been a big factor as well. JMHO 

Clemson vs Bama

First, congrats to the Bama players and coaches on the great year.  I know this didn’t end the way we all wanted, but you have to give some credit for Clemson and their game plan. 

OFFFENSE:   The offense put up 376 yards of total offense.  They had 83 in the first half and 193 in the second half.  The problem here is that of the 193 yards in the second half 122 came on 3 plays.  The bad thing here is Bama didn’t really sustain any drives in the second half.  When they did score they scored quickly which didn’t take much time off the clock as well a put the defense back on the field.  Bama had 221 yards rushing and 155 passing.  For negative plays Bama had no sacks and 7 tackles for losses.  They also had seven 3 and outs and 4 of those were in the second half.  As far as plays for 10 plus yards, Bama had Bama had 7 running plays and 3 passing plays.  One of those pass plays were the result of a throw by Stewart.  Every touchdown Bama scored came from outside the red zone. The only time they got in the red zone they had to settle for a field goal.

QB:  As good as Hurts is he didn’t stretch the field and Clemson didn’t honor the passing game.  I will say there were about 3 balls that should have been caught.  He is going to have to improve his throwing because Clemson just gave other teams a hell of an offensive and defensive game plan on how to beat Bama. 

RB:  Scarbrough had a great game up until his injury.  He not only ran well but did a good job picking up a couple of blitzes.  Harris and Jacobs both ran hard when they got the chance.

Rec:  They were basically a nonfactor except for a few plays.  These guys have to be involved in order for Bama to be successful.  Three drops didn’t help the team.  These are catches that Clemson made. 

OL:   Many times they were outmanned because of Clemson loading the box.  They were also hurt because Clemson did a great job of measuring the snap count.

Defense:  The defense played well since they had to 99 snaps.  Clemson only averaged 5.1 yards per play where Bama averaged 5.6.  They gave up 511 total yards which included 91 rushing and 420 passing.  Clemson came in with a great game plan and executed it.  They were content to throw the 5 yard passes which got rid of the ball quickly and would settle for a yard or two run.  Every once in a while, they would take a little deeper shot.  For negative plays Bama had 4 sacks, 6 tackles for losses and 2 fumble recoveries.  Clemson only had 3 three and outs.  For plays over 10 plus yards, Clemson had 3 runs and 13 pass plays, 9 of these came in the second half.  Every one of their touchdowns came from in the red zone.  Some of the bad parts about the defense was they were going for the kill shot and not wrapping up all the time.  Also, they had a chance for a huge sack and went for the ball strip which allowed Watson to escape and get rid of the ball without the loss of yardage.  They did lose the edge a couple of times.

DL:  They did a good job on the run game and made some plays in the passing game.  They also forced the 2 fumbles which Bama recovered.  Clemson only averaged 2.6 yards a rush. 

LB:  I thought Foster and Evans both played well.  When they got to the point of attack they came hard.
 
DB:  It is hard to judge this position.  They had a tough assignment with the short passing game.  I guess Bama was worried about them getting beat deep since they didn’t press all the time.  I also thought they were the victim of some no calls.   

Special Teams:  They had a punt partially block on a low snap and slow get off.  It also looked like the guy had a free run.  The kickoff coverage team also had a couple of letdowns, fortunately a penalty help take one back.  For some reason, no kickoffs got into the end zone.  Scott did have some nice punts pinning Clemson deep.
Penalties:   Bama had some costly penalties.  After the turnover, they start on the 16 and before the first play they have a false start.  Bama had 9 penalties for 82 yards and had one declined.  Again, Bama hurt themselves.   Clemson had three.  I am not blaming the loss on the officials, however, I saw where there were plays where penalties could have been called.  Clemson didn’t have a penalty after the 2nd quarter.  You can’t tell me a team that throws the ball 57 times, plus the times Watson scrambled, there were no holding calls.  The last 2 games Bama has been flagged 19 times to the opponents 5.   

Finally:  Bama didn’t do enough to win the game especially offensively.  They have got to be able to throw the ball at least 20 yards down field.  If Bama can’t stretch the field then Clemson gave the game plan for the start of next year.  They hurt themselves in the game with penalties but also drops and other mistakes.  Bama had a screen set up to Harris and Howard caught the ball.  Harris had open field and may have scored.  However, if he didn’t he would have at least gotten a first down and kept the drive alive and kept the clock running.  I also don’t know why Bama didn’t utilized the pop pass like they have in the past. 

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16 and Counting

Washington vs Bama

First, congrats to the Bama players and coaches on the victory versus Washington.  This was a game where Bama had every opportunity in the world to put the game away early.  The starting field position in the first half was their own 46 and only scored 10 offensive points.  They kept killing themselves with penalties and offensive mistakes.

OFFFENSE:   The offense put up 326 yards of total offense.  However, if they hadn’t had so many penalties they probably would have had more as well as scored more points.  Bama only had 57 yards passing and 269 rushing.  For negative plays, Bama gave up 3 sacks and had 7 tackles for losses.  They also had one fumble.  The importance of the fumble was it lost about 4 yards and the next run ended up about 4 yards short for what would have been a first down.  The good thing is they didn’t lose the fumble.  For three and outs, I have them for 4 during the game.   One the positive side, Bama had 9 runs of 10 plus yards and only 3 passes for 10 plus yards.  There was another pass, however, it was negated by a horrible call by the officials.  Bama only got into the red zone twice.  On the first one they scored a touchdown, while on the second they lost yardage and ended up kicking a field goal outside the red zone.  The other offensive touchdown came from outside the red zone on the long run by Scarbrough.  The biggest enemy to Bama in this game offensively was themselves. 
QB:  Hurts didn’t play as bad as some might believe.  He made some big runs on scramble but he also missed a few throws.  Many of the problems in the passing game were caused by the pressure when the OL didn’t do their job.  He also wasn’t helped when he had to scramble by his receivers moving to help get in the passing lane.  Again, he fumbled but it was recovered by the right tackle.

RB:  Scarbrough had a great game and showed the talent he possesses.  Harris also ran hard, but didn’t get the opportunities Scarbrough did.  Jacobs wasn’t really utilized in the game.

Rec:  There were only 7 completions in the game and Howard had 4 of them.  I am going to put this note here.  It seemed to me the passing game was either deep or short, especially in the first half.  Bama also didn’t utilize the pop pass or the wide receiver screens in this game.

OL:   To me the interior of the offensive line, LG, C, and RG had problem a lot during the night.  They were blown up and pushed back more than once.  On the 4th down play the RG got beat and pushed back and stopped the play.  At times, they looked great but there were just too many mistakes here.  Bama had 10 penalties and most of them were on the offense. 

Defense:  The defense played well.  As people, have said this was a well-rounded offense.   They gave up 194 yards of total offense, which included 150 yards passing and 44 rushing.  What is even more impressive is Bama only gave up 49 yards in the second half.  Also, they 18 yards in the rushing stats the second half.  The defense had 6 sacks, 4 tackles for losses, caused 1 fumble which they recovered and 2 interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown.  Six of their 13 possessions were 3 and outs.  The had 3 runs of 10 plus yards and 6 passes of 10 plus yards.  They got into the red zone once and scored a touchdown.  One bad thing is they did miss a few tackles. 

DL:  They pretty much controlled the LOS.  They also got enough pressure on the QB which help the DB’s with their coverage.   One mistake they made was rushing too far up the field and allowing the QB to scramble for a nice gain.  The Clemson QB would have gained a lot more yards.

LB:  They played well.  I saw them fit very well in the running game and they also had to be ready to put themselves in coverage with play action and the different formations and movement used by Washington.  I noticed Evans play the run very well a few times. 

DB:  Overall, they played well.  The only hic-cup was the double move where Humphrey got beat on the double move for the touchdown.  I did think a couple of times they were a little slow to line up or had to move someone before the snap.  Again, the front four aided them.  I don’t know if you noticed but Brown did a great job on his sack lowering his shoulder to take on, and get thru the block. 

Special Teams:  They were solid all night.  The punts kept Washington backed up most of the night.  Also, when they decided to bring the kickoff out, the Bama defenders were there to stop any return to really develop. 

Penalties:   Bama had way too many penalties.  Many of them hurt or help stop drives.  The sack/intentional grounding knocked Bama out of scoring positon.  A bad call on 87 being downfield illegally was a horrible call.  He never went downfield and was used to secure blocking.  The pass was complete to about the 20-yard line again in scoring position.  Most of the penalties were on the offense. 

Finally:  Bama did not play their best game.  They must drastically improve to beat Clemson.  I don’t know if OSU was that bad or Clemson was that good, but Bama will have to play better to win the game.  They can’t afford to waste outstanding field position and not put points on the board.

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16 and Counting