🏈 GAME THREAD Alabama defeats Florida, 31-29

[bamaledge]

The truth is Miami was weak, last Saturday wasn’t a fluke and today shows Bama’s not close to being as good as they’ve been the past few seasons. Even Saban can’t lose all he lost from last season’s roster and coaching staff and simply reload. We as Tide fans expected too much and now we’re disappointed. Of course, we always set high expectations … that’s just who we are.

There has to be some rebuilding and now we’re seeing it. No team can lose as many players and coaches as we have and not have a learning curve. This was a good Florida team. I’m happy with the W.

 

[rick4bama]

You know I don't mind missing a play because of the TV AD break. But when I miss a play because CBS got to show those gator people now that tick me off!!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

This isn’t worth a new thread so I’ll put it here I guess. Just ramblings on the game…

-With they way the top teams are playing there’s a good sized margin of error for Bama this year to get into the playoffs. We all want them to be undefeated, but it isn’t necessary. And one could argue that falling from #1 after a loss might help with the mindset of this team (if today’s jolt didn’t help the issue). A lot of these guys haven’t felt that sting yet.

-Dan Mullen is one of those rare coaches that can make chicken shit out of chicken salad yet also make chicken salad out of chicken shit on any given Saturday (see also: Jimbo Fisher). Against Bama, he did the latter. He had a really good plan and had Bama on their heels for the final 3 quarters. Mullen used the TE’s really well and had a good plan for the ground. A lot to clean up before Ole Miss visits in 2 weeks.

-Thought Will Anderson and Drew Sanders played excellent. Chris Allen’s absence was felt though in run defense. Several others on defense (through the middle) really struggled. Bigly. And that was a tired defense later in the game… led to some bad tackling and poor play. Not good.

-Said it in another thread but the WR’s are going to have to start getting some separation. IMO, it’s as big an issue as the inconsistencies of the OL. Bryce has taken quite a bit of criticism, and some of it warranted, but I think much of it is misplaced frustration from fans. He’s not getting much help and having to do a lot on his own. And let’s remember, the dude just started his second year (first as a starter). I think some are comparing him to 4th year Mac Jones. And that ain’t really fair. Fact is, Bryce is further along than current NFL starters Mac Jones and Jalen Hurts were at the same stage. Now Tua? Throwing the ball he’s not where Tua was in year two, but Tua was also an anomaly. As far as reading defenses though, from what I understand he’d stack up very well with Tua at that stage. Personally, I think letting him (encouraging him) to use his legs some to make plays would open things up for him even more. But a part of me understands the apprehension right now too. And again, overall he played really well today in a very difficult environment (for the first time in his career)… 233 passing yards, 3 TD’s, 147.1 Rating.

-Will be interested in seeing if there’s some changes (or experimenting) on the OL against USM. I’m betting the same 5 start, but a couple of guys may have shorter leashes.

-The 3 best teams in the country right now might just be Bama, UGA, and Ole Miss. And the Rebels/Kiffin now have 2 weeks to prepare for the Tide…

 

[Tidestalker]

-Will be interested in seeing if there’s some changes (or experimenting) on the OL against USM. I’m betting the same 5 start, but a couple of guys may have shorter leashes.

Great stuff in that whole post! Agreed on all levels.

The OL observation is probably the most important. IMO it made sense for CNS to come into Florida with some vets that he felt were best equipped, mentally, to handle the first true road game in almost 2 years. But it also kind of made it clear that physically, this group, doesn't have the type of ceiling and potential that some others may have. Again - Props to Florida and their front on both sides of the ball... But I'm sure there is some conversations being had about getting guys who are more capable of physically dominating and potentially dealing with some mental hiccups (which there was today anyway, partly due to crowd noise), and trying to see if they can raise the ceiling a bit in terms of potential and improvement.

I believe Randolph played some blocking TE today (thought he played since week 1, but maybe I'm mistaken)... And if that's the case, he's probably just not in the picture to start at RT. But as some have noted, Owens moving to center could be the move and potentially giving someone else an opportunity be it at guard or tackle, or both, to move some people around! It will be interesting to watch.

For me, the more surprising outcome was how well Florida's OL played against the DL's, not named Will Anderson. And that was with some injury issues as well. And the DL is basically at full strength, so you just have to tip your cap. I'd previously mentioned how impressed I had been with the interior DL, but their ability to push the pocket was pretty non existent. L. Ray is a guy I'd look forward to see back in the mix, and hopefully he can get healthy enough to get his chance! RTR

 

[bamaledge]

Well, I wonder what the locker room was like after the game! I bet it was subdued with a sprinkling of humility and CNS having a few choice words.

 

[RangeGuy]

This isn’t worth a new thread so I’ll put it here I guess. Just ramblings on the game…

-With they way the top teams are playing there’s a good sized margin of error for Bama this year to get into the playoffs. We all want them to be undefeated, but it isn’t necessary. And one could argue that falling from #1 after a loss might help with the mindset of this team (if today’s jolt didn’t help the issue). A lot of these guys haven’t felt that sting yet.

-Dan Mullen is one of those rare coaches that can make chicken shit out of chicken salad yet also make chicken salad out of chicken shit on any given Saturday (see also: Jimbo Fisher). Against Bama, he did the latter. He had a really good plan and had Bama on their heels for the final 3 quarters. Mullen used the TE’s really well and had a good plan for the ground. A lot to clean up before Ole Miss visits in 2 weeks.

-Thought Will Anderson and Drew Sanders played excellent. Chris Allen’s absence was felt though in run defense. Several others on defense (through the middle) really struggled. Bigly. And that was a tired defense later in the game… led to some bad tackling and poor play. Not good.

-Said it in another thread but the WR’s are going to have to start getting some separation. IMO, it’s as big an issue as the inconsistencies of the OL. Bryce has taken quite a bit of criticism, and some of it warranted, but I think much of it is misplaced frustration from fans. He’s not getting much help and having to do a lot on his own. And let’s remember, the dude just started his second year (first as a starter). I think some are comparing him to 4th year Mac Jones. And that ain’t really fair. Fact is, Bryce is further along than current NFL starters Mac Jones and Jalen Hurts were at the same stage. Now Tua? Throwing the ball he’s not where Tua was in year two, but Tua was also an anomaly. As far as reading defenses though, from what I understand he’d stack up very well with Tua at that stage. Personally, I think letting him (encouraging him) to use his legs some to make plays would open things up for him even more. But a part of me understands the apprehension right now too. And again, overall he played really well today in a very difficult environment (for the first time in his career)… 233 passing yards, 3 TD’s, 147.1 Rating.

-Will be interested in seeing if there’s some changes (or experimenting) on the OL against USM. I’m betting the same 5 start, but a couple of guys may have shorter leashes.

-The 3 best teams in the country right now might just be Bama, UGA, and Ole Miss. And the Rebels/Kiffin now have 2 weeks to prepare for the Tide…

If vast improvements aren't made, I guess it would be a good thing to stock up on adult beverages to prepare for the worst. It could also be a lot worse......the Shula years

 

[RangeGuy]

Well, I wonder what the locker room was like after the game! I bet it was subdued with a sprinkling of humility and CNS having a few choice words.

It's a wonder CNS didn't have a stroke on the sideline

 

[Crtuneman]

I like Drew Sanders and he has a lot of potential, but I saw him miss several plays last night. He was especially vulnerable in the option. He got beat on the perimeter a few times. But he excels in pass coverage. He still has some growing to do.

 

[tider79]

My take, I agreed with Gary when he said in the first half, Bama's athletes looked quicker then Florida's . The fact that this team built an astounding 21 - 3 lead against an excellent Gator team in that environment was telling, telling from the standpoint the potential this Bama team has to dominate their opponent in any situation . Both sides of the ball looked like a NC team for the first 20 minutes. However, whether it was complacency or a " this is gonna be easy" mental attitude, our play dialed down and gave the Gators hope. Had the offense continued their torrid pace and scored on just two more of their 2nd quarter possessions, this game wouldnt have even been close. First half defense looked quick and aggressive, 2nd half they were gassed. So the talent and potential is obviously there but this team has to grow up and realize that for more then a decade now, they have a huge target on their backs and have to know they are gonna get every teams best shot..... just because they are Bama. That is exactly why a game like this is invaluable, growth takes place only through adversity , not smooth sailing when things are to easy.

 

[BamaFan334]

I like Drew Sanders and he has a lot of potential, but I saw him miss several plays last night. He was especially vulnerable in the option. He got beat on the perimeter a few times. But he excels in pass coverage. He still has some growing to do.

He was the only guy out there trying to cover two guys, so of course a young mind will have trouble with that decision. I made note of it in the In Game thread. He did the best he could, but had zero help, and one guy can't get both in an option. It was Golding or linebacker that left him out to dry.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Well, I wonder what the locker room was like after the game! I bet it was subdued with a sprinkling of humility and CNS having a few choice words.

Would bet it was more of a "told you so..." from CNS. He doesn't get down on the team after games as much as many would think. Winning is hard, winning on the road in a game like that is really hard. He's been preaching to them that they needed to get it together, but he's also been trying to get them to appreciate the winning.

 

[Secondand26]

He was the only guy out there trying to cover two guys, so of course a young mind will have trouble with that decision. I made note of it in the In Game thread. He did the best he could, but had zero help, and one guy can't get both in an option. It was Golding or linebacker that left him out to dry.

"They had a good plan, and when you’re playing the option, everybody’s gotta be disciplined. Somebody’s got the quarterback, somebody’s got the pitch, and we weren’t doing that correctly. I think we were afraid to do a lot of other things that we had planned in the game." - Nick Saban after the game.

 

[Secondand26]

Would bet it was more of a "told you so..." from CNS. He doesn't get down on the team after games as much as many would think. Winning is hard, winning on the road in a game like that is really hard. He's been preaching to them that they needed to get it together, but he's also been trying to get them to appreciate the winning.

We all need to appreciate the winning (instead of constantly bitching because we don't win every game in a blowout - I'm guilty of this at times during a game). People sure have short memories. All of the experts on here need to go back & look at their comments during the Ole Miss (or SEC Championship game) last year. Now they are comparing everything to that team, and they are not remembering the flaws.
I guess the question for all of us is How much do you trust Nick Saban? We go down this road every year, I personally think we will end up as a better team because of this game. I think Coach Bryant referred to games such as these a "gut check".
Brandon - I feel like I'm preaching to the choir here. Reinforcing what you've said.

 

[BamaFan334]

"They had a good plan, and when you’re playing the option, everybody’s gotta be disciplined. Somebody’s got the quarterback, somebody’s got the pitch, and we weren’t doing that correctly. I think we were afraid to do a lot of other things that we had planned in the game." - Nick Saban after the game.

Well apparently one guy never did his job, because I recall four times off the top of my head where Sanders was the only guy out there trying to cover two guys. So Coach is either covering for his coaches or we have some defiant players. We were so far out of position I would think we were in a bad play call or we did not in fact practice as much. It looked too open for a missed assignment.

 

[BamaFan334]

We all need to appreciate the winning (instead of constantly bitching because we don't win every game in a blowout - I'm guilty of this at times during a game). People sure have short memories. All of the experts on here need to go back & look at their comments during the Ole Miss (or SEC Championship game) last year. Now they are comparing everything to that team, and they are not remembering the flaws.
I guess the question for all of us is How much do you trust Nick Saban? We go down this road every year, I personally think we will end up as a better team because of this game. I think Coach Bryant referred to games such as these a "gut check".
Brandon - I feel like I'm preaching to the choir here. Reinforcing what you've said.

Totally agree. I get a little irritated when we clearly have the better team, get ahead, and pull our foot off the pedal. It happens a lot offensively a number of us feel. I am not down on this team. I have been one to talk them up and we clearly have more talent than anyone and that gets us over the hump more times than not.

Yesterday we didn't look well prepared on defense. I put that on our coaching. Not sure why we allow teams to continuously eat us up with a tight end, but we do. We were not prepared for the option when we knew they had a freaking running quarterback.

Offensive line is more of a talent/progression issue I feel. Same with wide receivers. Metchie and Williams are consistently open from what I see though. Not sure about separation issues everyone else is talking about, because when I see them they are open. Bolden has his moments, but I still wonder, as I mentioned preseason, if we are wasting young talent on tenure here.

 

[Secondand26]

Well apparently one guy never did his job, because I recall four times off the top of my head where Sanders was the only guy out there trying to cover two guys. So Coach is either covering for his coaches or we have some defiant players. We were so far out of position I would think we were in a bad play call or we did not in fact practice as much. It looked too open for a missed assignment.

Well apparently one guy never did his job, because I recall four times off the top of my head where Sanders was the only guy out there trying to cover two

I think this is what Coach was referring to. Nobody helping Sanders on these plays.
Personally, I think this is where Christopher Allen plus Drew Sanders would have really helped out.

 

[Justneedme81]

Two weeks of hard lessons will do the team good.

The Mullin offense was interesting. Anyone noticed what Jones did on offense option plays? He and RB held as long as they could at the last min and that was odd...

 

[bamaledge]

Would bet it was more of a "told you so..." from CNS. He doesn't get down on the team after games as much as many would think. Winning is hard, winning on the road in a game like that is really hard. He's been preaching to them that they needed to get it together, but he's also been trying to get them to appreciate the winning.

Yep, I agree. Extremely hard for where they were. I'm proud of the win! An ugly win is better than a pretty loss and I'm not much into a moral victory. They beat us up but we came away with the W!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]