Alabama17Tide
Member
Wasn't easy to come up with 6 stats from yesterday's game but I managed. Here's how Alabama's win against Chattanooga breaks down. Most of the team's offensive numbers are down from last week relative to other teams in the country; the defensive numbers are more or less unchanged.
Rushing yards per game: 249.8 (13th nationally, 2nd in SEC)
Passing yards per game: 227.8 (71st, 5th)
Total yards per game: 477.6 (27th, 2nd)
Points per game: 40.3 (14th, 1st)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 68.9 (1st, 1st)
Passing yards allowed per game: 183.7 (13th, 2nd)
Total yards allowed per game: 252.6 (2nd, 1st)
Points allowed per game: 11.4 (2nd, 1st)
Turnover margin: +3 (t-42nd, t-6th)
1. The weekly update on Alabama's scoring pace: The Tide is now averaging 40.3 points per game and has scored 443 total points. The school record for points is 542 scored in 2014 and the school record for points per game is 43.0 in 1945. Alabama needs to score 99 more points this season to break the school record for total points. This is the first time this season I'm not totally confident in Alabama breaking the record. I'd still say there's a good chance of it happening but it sure would have made a difference to score 45 or 50 yesterday. Auburn is 7th nationally in scoring defense (14.3 points) and Florida is third (13.0) so scoring 30 against those teams and a playoff team will not be an easy feat. Playing a 4th game (the national championship) would obviously make things a little different.
2. The offense struggled significantly yesterday despite the 31 points. It posted its second-fewest yards (332, lowest was 323 against LSU) and its third-fewest yards per play (5.72, LSU and Texas A&M were lower) yesterday. JK Scott had a season-high 6 punts. Alabama averaged 50.7 points in its games against FCS teams from 2009-15, never scoring fewer than 45 points.
3. ArDarius Stewart did not play yesterday for what sounded like a violation of team rules. In the 4 games that he has missed this year (Kentucky, Kent State, Chattanooga and most of Ole Miss) Alabama has averaged 10.1 yards per completion and 6.7 yards per pass attempt. In the 7 games that he has played, Alabama is averaging 13.5 yards per completion and 8.8 yards per attempt. Stewart averages 17.5 yards per reception himself, easily the best number on the team. The passing offense really has problems making big plays without him.
4. Outside of the first drive, where Chattanooga was able to get a field goal, the defense was very strong. It gave up 134 yards on 44 plays after that and only allowed the Mocs to cross midfield once. Saban didn't seem happy with the team's preparation at all when we spoke to him last night but he did speak well of the defense. That's about the kind of defensive performance you would have expected from the team last night, but the offense was so stagnant that things looked kind of competitive.
5. One oddball stat from the defense: It failed to register a sack yesterday for the first time this season. Florida State now leads the nation with 41 sacks (Alabama has 40). Alabama is still on pace to surpass the 52 sacks it had last year if it plays four more games. Auburn has only given up 18 sacks this year and Florida has only given up 15, so it won't be easy, but it's still within striking distance.
6. The defense has now gone 3:27:54 of game time without giving up a touchdown after keeping Mississippi State, LSU and Chattanooga out of the end zone. The last touchdown surrendered by the defense was Texas A&M's when the Aggies took a 14-13 lead in the third quarter on Oct. 22. Alabama will go over a calendar month without surrendering a touchdown.
Ben Jones
TideSports.com Editor
Rushing yards per game: 249.8 (13th nationally, 2nd in SEC)
Passing yards per game: 227.8 (71st, 5th)
Total yards per game: 477.6 (27th, 2nd)
Points per game: 40.3 (14th, 1st)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 68.9 (1st, 1st)
Passing yards allowed per game: 183.7 (13th, 2nd)
Total yards allowed per game: 252.6 (2nd, 1st)
Points allowed per game: 11.4 (2nd, 1st)
Turnover margin: +3 (t-42nd, t-6th)
1. The weekly update on Alabama's scoring pace: The Tide is now averaging 40.3 points per game and has scored 443 total points. The school record for points is 542 scored in 2014 and the school record for points per game is 43.0 in 1945. Alabama needs to score 99 more points this season to break the school record for total points. This is the first time this season I'm not totally confident in Alabama breaking the record. I'd still say there's a good chance of it happening but it sure would have made a difference to score 45 or 50 yesterday. Auburn is 7th nationally in scoring defense (14.3 points) and Florida is third (13.0) so scoring 30 against those teams and a playoff team will not be an easy feat. Playing a 4th game (the national championship) would obviously make things a little different.
2. The offense struggled significantly yesterday despite the 31 points. It posted its second-fewest yards (332, lowest was 323 against LSU) and its third-fewest yards per play (5.72, LSU and Texas A&M were lower) yesterday. JK Scott had a season-high 6 punts. Alabama averaged 50.7 points in its games against FCS teams from 2009-15, never scoring fewer than 45 points.
3. ArDarius Stewart did not play yesterday for what sounded like a violation of team rules. In the 4 games that he has missed this year (Kentucky, Kent State, Chattanooga and most of Ole Miss) Alabama has averaged 10.1 yards per completion and 6.7 yards per pass attempt. In the 7 games that he has played, Alabama is averaging 13.5 yards per completion and 8.8 yards per attempt. Stewart averages 17.5 yards per reception himself, easily the best number on the team. The passing offense really has problems making big plays without him.
4. Outside of the first drive, where Chattanooga was able to get a field goal, the defense was very strong. It gave up 134 yards on 44 plays after that and only allowed the Mocs to cross midfield once. Saban didn't seem happy with the team's preparation at all when we spoke to him last night but he did speak well of the defense. That's about the kind of defensive performance you would have expected from the team last night, but the offense was so stagnant that things looked kind of competitive.
5. One oddball stat from the defense: It failed to register a sack yesterday for the first time this season. Florida State now leads the nation with 41 sacks (Alabama has 40). Alabama is still on pace to surpass the 52 sacks it had last year if it plays four more games. Auburn has only given up 18 sacks this year and Florida has only given up 15, so it won't be easy, but it's still within striking distance.
6. The defense has now gone 3:27:54 of game time without giving up a touchdown after keeping Mississippi State, LSU and Chattanooga out of the end zone. The last touchdown surrendered by the defense was Texas A&M's when the Aggies took a 14-13 lead in the third quarter on Oct. 22. Alabama will go over a calendar month without surrendering a touchdown.
Ben Jones
TideSports.com Editor
