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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. _ Through its first two games, the University of Alabama offense has completed 51 passes for 680 yards, which is on pace for shattering some program records even though last Saturday’s game was called midway through the fourth quarter due to bad weather.
Ten different players have already made receptions but not among them are Brian Vogler and O.J. Howard. Actually, the only reception by a tight end is newcomer Ty Flournoy-Smith’s 4-yard gain against Florida Atlantic.
One wouldn’t blame them for going into a position meeting and saying, “What gives?”
“We are doing a lot of great things with the guys on the outside,” Vogler said. “It’s really working for us. We are waiting our turn. An opportunity is going to come up sooner or later.
“Obviously, we have to show what we can do with the ball now that everyone else are doing some impressive things.”
What he could have also said is that for now it’s simply not that big of a priority, especially since the coaches are trying to get not only one, but two quarterbacks comfortable with running the offense. Additionally, throwing to the tight ends is the kind of thing an offense usually does after a defense makes a move to take something away, like bubble screens, but Alabama really hasn’t gone much beyond Plan A in play-calling yet.
As Vogler pointed out to reporters, once Alabama finds something that works well offensively it usually keeps running it. For example, at one point during the 2012 SEC Championship Game the Crimson Tide ran the exact same running play six straight times against Georgia.
Game 1 was primarily about establishing the run against West Virginia’s stack defense as running back T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry both had 100-yard performances, and last week was more about seeing how the quarterbacks handle the offense.
“We are having great opportunities with the guys on the outside,” Vogler added. “Obviously, the screen is working for us so we are getting those guys the ball in space.”
Coming into the season Alabama was thought to have major mismatch options with two receiving threats in particular, Kenyan Drake out of the backfield, and Howard, who as a true freshman played in 13 games, with five starts, and made 14 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
So far, Drake has two receptions, including his 39-yard catch-and-go touchdown against the Owls, while the only ball thrown Howard’s way was intercepted.
Considering that Howard didn’t have a reception during A-Day either and it’s more than becoming a trend. In 2013, Crimson Tide tight ends had just 27 catches for 380 yards, or 9.04 percent of all receptions. Even if you factor in fullback Jalston Fowler’s catches it would still only be 34 receptions for 385 yards, or 13.9 percent of all receptions – the lowest percentage since Nick Saban’s first season at Alabama in 2007.
Year, No., Yards (Percent of all receptions)
2007 30-270 (11.4)
2008 47-482 (24.1)
2009 40-424 (18.9)
2010 42-455 (16.6)
2011 54-580 (22.7)
2012 32-259 (14.6)
2013 27-380 (9.04)
2014 1-4 (1.96)
However, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the tight ends will catch more passes as the season progresses, including the quarterbacks becoming more comfortable with them and Alabama starting Southeastern Conference play.
It should also be noted that there’s been significant improvement in Howard’s blocking, and coaches have moved defensive lineman Dakota Ball to tight end to be at least be an extra blocker in short-yardage situations.
“Those guys have got to be multi-talented,” Saban said during training camp. “They have to be able to block, they have to be instinctive players who can find openings in the passing game and become threats as receivers as well as being very physical players for us.”
Alabama also has numerous ways of utilizing them as well. For example, when offensive coordinator Lake Kiffin had both Vogler and Howard lined up as receivers to the right, FAU opted to call time out.
“From time to time you’ll see guys like me and O.J. split out,” Vogler said. “But seeing us in the slot is something that throws defenses off. Confuses them a little bit, and sets us up for mismatches, which is something we are trying to find. Defenses getting confused with guys over the wrong guys, setting us up for something big.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
