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Alabama fields the top offense in the SEC. The Crimson Tide are one of only two teams (also Missouri) in the conference averaging more than 7 yards per play, and their 2,390 rushing yards leads the SEC by more than 100 (Georgia is second with 2,272).
The offense isn’t perfect, but it can help win the Tide a championship.
Here are three things the Alabama offense does well, and three that it doesn’t.
What the Crimson Tide does well
1. Prevent sacks: The Tide is fifth in the SEC — and tied for 23rd nationally — for sacks allowed this season (11).
That 1.38 average is Alabama’s best since 2014 when it gave up only 1.14 sacks per game.
Alabama LT Jonah Williams has been one of the most improved linemen in the SEC and has yet to allow a sack this season. pic.twitter.com/gtan3X4rUy
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) October 20, 2017
The above tweet was before Alabama’s Week 8 game against Tennessee — another game in which Williams didn’t give up a sack.
Having two quarterbacks who can elude pressure and buy time also contributes to the low sack number.
2. Create big plays on the ground: Alabama has been excellent at creating big running plays this season.
Here’s where they rank nationally:
- 79 plays of 10-plus yards (T-3rd)
- 21 plays of 20-plus yards (13th)
- 8 plays of 30-plus yards (T-22nd)
- 6 plays of 40-plus yards (T-12th)
- 4 plays of 50-plus yards (T-10th)
- 3 plays of 60-plus yards (T-8th)
- 2 plays of 70-plus yards (T-4th)
Junior running back Damien Harris has been a big reason for the explosive run game, accounting for all three plays that went 60-plus yards. He had a 61-yarder against Vanderbilt, a 75-yarder against Texas A&M and another 75-yarder against Arkansas.
3. Hold onto the football: Alabama is tied for seventh in the nation in turnover margin at plus-10.
The Tide had an eight-game streak without a turnover, from the last three games of 2016 to the first five this season.
The defense has contributed significantly to that ranking with 11 interceptions (T-12th) and four fumble recoveries. But offense has only lost three fumbles and the quarterbacks have only thrown two interceptions — one each by Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.
However, all five Tide turnovers have occurred in the past three games. Before that, Alabama’s offense had not turned the ball over in the first five games.
What they don’t do well
1. Stretch defenses vertically: It isn’t being talked about enough, but Hurts’ performance against Tennessee might have been his worst of the season.
There’s no denying that Alabama has struggled to push the ball downfield. Hurts is near the bottom of the SEC in average yards through the air per completion (5.7).
Here’s a breakdown of the SEC QBs ranked by their average air yards per completion… huge gap between the top and bottom of this list pic.twitter.com/aojzZXxSzQ
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) October 26, 2017
That’s not entirely on Hurts — a lack of protection, drops and penalties contribute to that statistic — but, at some point, the sophomore must get things going through the air.
2. Get enough receivers involved: The passing game has seen Hurts spread the ball around to multiple players, but not nearly enough.
Junior receiver Calvin Ridley is on pace for 61.5 receptions in the regular season. The next guy? That’d be true freshman Jerry Jeudy, only on pace to have 18.
Here’s are Alabama’s top four receivers:
- Calvin Ridley (5.1 receptions/game)
- Jerry Jeudy (1.5 receptions/game)
- Cam Sims (1.1 receptions/game)
- Robert Foster (0.9 receptions/game)
Alabama must balance its distribution better to continue working toward another national title.
3. Give enough variety on the first play of a drive: Coach Nick Saban wanted to get back to running the football, and that’s exact what first-year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has done.
In the team’s five SEC games this season, Daboll has called a run a whopping 73.8 percent of the time to open drives.
Granted, that number is somewhat skewed because Alabama keeps holding big leads late in games, but still, it’s clear that Daboll wants no part of the frequency of passes on the first down of a drive that predecessor Lane Kiffin preferred.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
