A year after posting the nation’s best third-down conversion rate, Alabama’s offense is once again coming up big in crucial situations.
Through seven games, the Crimson Tide leads the SEC and ranks third nationally, converting on 55.1 percent (54 of 98) of its third-down tries. That includes a 12 of 16 performance on the down during last weekend's 49-9 victory over Mississippi State.
“I thought we did a good job of communicating,” quarterback Bryce Young said. “A lot of it comes down to preparation that we had as a whole offensively last week. We were all locked into the game plan, all locked into the third-down plan. I thought we got a lot of quality reps in practice last week. That’s something we’re really priding ourselves in, making sure that becomes the norm, making sure that we continue that.”
Young picked up eight of Alabama’s first downs against Mississippi State, six with his arm and two with his feet. The starting quarterback was 7 of 7 for 178 yards with three touchdowns through the air while adding 28 rushing yards on the down.
Brian Robinson Jr. was also dominant on the down, picking up first downs on all four of his third-down involvements, including three carries for 15 yards and a touchdown as well as a 51-yard reception for a score.
Here’s a look at all 16 of Alabama’s third-down attempts against Mississippi State.
Third-and-2 from the Alabama 43 | 12:05, Q1
The play: Robinson took a handoff from Young out of the shotgun formation before running through a hole in the middle of the line for 3 yards.
Why it worked: Center Darrian Dalcourt did a nice job of opening up a hole through the middle while left tackle Evan Neal did well to seal off his defender to give Robinson enough time to break through for the first down.
Third-and-2 from the Mississippi State 46 | 10:47, Q1
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Young found a wide-open John Metchie III over the middle for a 46-yard touchdown. After catching the ball at the Mississippi State 41-yard line, the receiver made his way down the right sideline to the end zone.
Why it worked: Young did well to stay calm as Mississippi State sent six pass rushers. Keeping his eyes downfield, the quarterback found Metchie who did the rest with his feet. Receiver Slade Bolden was also influential in the play, providing a crucial block at the 12-yard line which allowed Metchie to cut back inside for the score.
Third-and-9 from the Alabama 46 | 6:00, Q1
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Young was flushed to his left before taking a 6-yard sack from Nathaniel Watson.
Why it didn’t work: Young’s deep options were all covered, and Robinson failed to gain separation on the underneath route. The quarterback might have been able to pick up yards with his feet had he ran from the start. However, by the time Young realized all his options were covered, that window had closed.
Third-and-12 from the Mississippi State 49 | 1:01, Q1
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Young dumped the ball off to Slade Bolden for a 4-yard gain as Alabama ended up well short of the first down.
Why it didn’t work: All of Young’s other options were covered. Meanwhile, Mississippi State’s Martin Emerson did well to close immediately on Bolden, eliminating the possibility of yards after the catch.
Third-and-8 from the Alabama 26 | 9:00, Q2
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Young found Metchie for a 19-yard gain. Jameson Williams was flagged for a block in the back after the catch, but Alabama still picked up the first down.
Why it worked: Lining up in a bunch formation to Young’s left, Metchie lost his defender, getting himself open across the middle of the field. Right tackle Chris Owens also did well to hold off defensive end De’Monte Russell, giving Young enough time to deliver the pass.
Third-and-4 from the 50 | 7:07, Q2
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Young dropped back to avoid pressure before dumping a ball off to Roydell Williams over the middle for a first down.
Why it worked: Young was once again calm under pressure, allowing him to see an open Williams over the middle. Mississippi State linebacker Tyrus Wheat was late to pick up Williams, allowing the Alabama back to make the play.
Third-and-goal from the Mississippi State 1 | 3:20, Q2
The play: After originally lining up out of the shotgun in a three-wide set, Alabama called timeout to change its play. From there, the Tide lined up in the I-formation with a fullback and two tight ends. Young then handed the ball to Robinson who found the end zone from a hole in the left side.
Why it worked: Alabama fullback Robbie Ouzts provided a crucial block on Mississippi State linebacker Jett Johnson who would have stuffed Robinson in the backfield. Neal and tight end Kendall Randolph also provided a nice push to clear the hole.
Third-and-1 from the Alabama 34 | 0:41, Q2
The play: Taking a handoff out of the shotgun, Robinson cut to his right for an 11-yard gain.
Why it worked: Alabama ran to the weak side as tight end Cameron Latu was lined up on the left. Lining up in the slot, Bolden provided a nice crack block on Johnson to allow Robinson to pick up extra yardage after Owens cleared the way at the line of scrimmage.
Third-and-10 from the Alabama 45 | 0:19, Q2
The play: Taking a handoff out of the shotgun, Roydell Williams ran to the right for a 2-yard gain.
Why it didn’t work: Latu wasn’t able to pick up defensive end Jake Weir, who slowed Williams before defensive tackle Nathan Pickering fought off a double team to bring the Alabama back down for a short gain.
Third-and-14 from the Alabama 21 | 8:48, 3Q
The play: Taking a snap from the shotgun, Young stepped up in the pocket before scrambling for a gain of 9 yards.
Why it didn’t work: This was actually a pretty successful scramble from Young, who showed nice athleticism once realizing his options were covered. Ultimately, 14 yards was too much for the quarterback to pick up as Mississippi State was in zone coverage.
Third-and-8 from the Alabama 32 | 4:40, Q3
The play: Taking a snap from the shotgun, Young saw plenty of green grass to his left and tucked the ball for a 13-yard gain.
Why it worked: Young quickly realized he had an opening to run to his left and made the correct decision to pick up the first down with his feet.
Young flashed his dual-threat ability several times against Mississippi State. Monday, he explained that he was just taking what the defense gave him.
“Every play
try to do what’s best for the offense, to keep the offense moving,” Young said. “This weekend a few times it opened up. Try to make good decisions of knowing when to throw and when to run. That just happens to be what it was.”
Third-and-6 from the Alabama 49 | 3:35, Q3
The play: Facing heavy pressure out of the shotgun, Young hit Robinson on a screen pass for a 51-yard touchdown. Robinson caught the ball at the Mississippi State 47-yard line before bursting away from defenders en route to the end zone.
Why it worked: Young once again stood tall under pressure, delivering the pass as two defenders crashed down on him. Monday, the quarterback broke down what allowed him to be poised on the play.
“It’s more in preparation in knowing where blitz is coming from, how we get things picked up and knowing if we can’t get it picked up and how it affects the blocking,” Young said. “On top of that construction, we want to anticipate that knowing what our options are, where our hot spots are, where we need to get our eyes to, what our answers for it are.
“We have countless reps throughout the off-season, during the week of these plays, so having plans for whatever we get, whatever coverages, whatever blitzes we might get, and just being able to process it in real time.”
Third-and-3 from the Mississippi State 35 | 14:35, Q4
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Young found an open Traeshon Holden over the middle for a gain of 22 yards.
Why it worked: Holden gained separation from Mississippi State defensive back Jalen Green who was in zone coverage. From there, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound defender rumbled for 10 yards after the catch.
Third-and-10 from the Mississippi State 13 | 13:49, Q4
The play: After being flushed to his right out of the shotgun, Young pump-faked a defender at the line of scrimmage before rushing 12 yards to the corner of the end zone. Originally, the play was ruled as a touchdown. However, the replay showed that Young stepped out at the 1-yard line.
Why it worked: Young flashed his athleticism a few times on the play, first outrunning a tackle attempt from Pickering in the backfield before juking out linebacker Aaron Brule around the 10-yard line. From there, he used his quickness to pick up the first down and nearly reach the end zone.
Third-and-7 from the Mississippi State 29 | 6:30, Q4
The play: Taking a snap from the shotgun, Young connected with Holden over the middle for a 29-yard touchdown. Holden caught the ball at the 22 before outracing defenders to the end zone.
Why it worked: Holden took advantage of a pick from JoJo Earle to get open on the play. After catching the ball, he turned on the jets for his first career touchdown.
“I think Traeshon from the off-season until today he’s done a really, really good job,” Young said. “He’s been ready, always been prepared. He hasn’t done anything crazy different. He’s always been ready, always been prepared. He’s someone who approaches everything with a very professional attitude. His number got called this past weekend and he was able to take advantage of it.”
Third-and-1 from the Alabama 38 | 0:56, Q4
The play: Taking a handoff from out of the shotgun, Trey Sanders cut to his left before running through a sizeable hole on the left side of the line for a 20-yard gain.
Why it worked: The entire left side of Alabama’s offensive line blocked well on the play. However, the run was especially aided by two standout blocks from Latu and freshman receiver Ja’Corey Brooks.
