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5.] The Colorado Cannon
What happened: Freshman punter JK Scott made life extremely difficult on opposing offenses, netting 43.4 yards per punt.
Why it was important: When asked in August how Scott was coming along in his bid to fill the right shoe left behind by Cody Mandell, Saban replied, "Have you seen him punt?" Those who saw Scott drop bombs in the Crimson Tide's open practice earlier in the month knew exactly what Saban was getting at.
I'm not sure it would be accurate to say Scott won the Arkansas game, but I would go as a far as to state that he impacted the contest more so than any other Alabama player. In killing seven of his eight punts inside the Hogs' 20, Scott kept the Arkansas offense on the long field for nearly the entirety of the game. Against Mississippi State, Scott's 34-yard punt to the Bulldogs' 4 helped set up a UA safety that gave the Crimson Tide early momentum.
Scott's net average to date is 5.5 yards greater than that of Alabama's opponents. Stretch that out over the 6.3 punts per game that UA foes are averaging, and that's a net of 35 yards per game in the Crimson Tide's favor.
4.] Dominant defensive front
What happened: A deep and talented defensive line proved extremely difficult to run on while also showing improvement in the pass rush.
Why it was important: Led by future pros Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson, this Alabama defense has a pair of bell cow ends who can handle a variety of roles in Kirby Smart's defensive packages. And with Jonathan Allen, Dalvin Tomlinson and DJ Pettway all very much in the mix, the talent train doesn't end with Reed and Robinson.
Combine those guys with nose tackles Brandon Ivory and Darren Lake and you've got a front that has gone a long way in Alabama leading the SEC (and ranking second nationally) in rushing defense at 88.7 yards per game. UA leads the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, surrendering just three rushing scores through 13 games.
Meanwhile, with outside linebacker Xzavier Dickson (eight sacks, 10 quarterback hurries) coming on in his final season of eligibility, the pass rush has also improved, showing gains both in sacks (29) and quarterback hurries (54) from a season ago (22 sacks and 44 quarterback hurries).
3.] Close call unified the Crimson Tide
What happened: One week after falling at Ole Miss, Alabama gutted out a 14-13 win at Arkansas.
Why it was important: A team that appeared to be headed for its second straight loss, one that would have all but ended its Playoff hopes in early October, rode a strong run defense and some outstanding punting from Scott to eek out a one-point decision in Fayetteville. The victory served as a jelling point for the Crimson Tide, whose head coach made it a point to scold those who found fault with his team's play in the win.
āEverybodyās got such a high expectation of what our team should be,ā Saban said the following Monday. āI was just happy to see our players be happy about playing the game and winning. It really, sort of, if you want to know the truth about it, pisses me off when I talk to people that have this expectation like they are disappointed that we only won the game 14-13 and in the way we played. Really, thatās frustrating. You want to talk about something thatās frustrating, thatās frustrating, to me, for our players, who play with a lot of heart in the game.ā
The enthusiasm Saban spoke of was evident the following week, as UA shutout Texas A&M, 59-0, in Tuscaloosa. The energy we witnessed from this team in the win over the Aggies, both on the field and on the sideline, was unlike anything we've seen from a Saban team in his eight years at the helm -- and it carried over all the way through the SEC Championship Game.
2.] Fourth quarter magic
What happened: The Crimson Tide offense produced late in wins over LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn.
Why it was important: Down 13-10 to LSU with 50 seconds left to go, Alabama's Playoff hopes rested on an offense that had managed just one first down in the second half. Led by quarterback Blake Sims, UA proceeded to march 55 yards to set up Adam Griffith's 27-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. Sims hit wide receiverDeAndrew White for six in OT and the defense produced pass breakups on LSU's final two plays to give the Crimson Tide an unlikely win.
The Crimson Tide also answered the fourth-quarter bell in wins over Mississippi State and Auburn, with Sims converting critical third downs on a touchdown drive that give UA a cushion against the Bulldogs before leading a 21-point outburst for the offense in the final stanza of the Iron Bowl.
1.] Passing game exceeded all expectations
What happened: With a first-year starter at quarterback and a new offensive coordinator dialing up the plays, the Alabama offense saw improvement in several areas, including passing yards, total offense, third down conversions and red zone touchdown conversions.
Why it was important: So much for the offense leaning on the running game. While there's been a slight uptick in production on the ground compared to last season, Sims' growth behind center has exceeded any and all expectations (as if there were any to begin with).
Not only has Sims taken over as UA's single-season passing leader with 3,250 yards, he's produced in the clutch. Much of the aforementioned fourth-quarter success involved Sims making plays with both his arm and legs. And for that Lane Kiffin should be largely credited. From working out of the no huddle to taking care of a lot of the pre-snap duties usually handled by the quarterback, Kiffin has placed Sims in a situation where he can play more and manage less.
It hasn't hurt, either, that Amari Cooper has put together a season for the ages, setting UA and SEC marks in several categories.
http://alabama.247sports.com/Articl...a-is-in-the-College-Football-Playoff-34015095
What happened: Freshman punter JK Scott made life extremely difficult on opposing offenses, netting 43.4 yards per punt.
Why it was important: When asked in August how Scott was coming along in his bid to fill the right shoe left behind by Cody Mandell, Saban replied, "Have you seen him punt?" Those who saw Scott drop bombs in the Crimson Tide's open practice earlier in the month knew exactly what Saban was getting at.
I'm not sure it would be accurate to say Scott won the Arkansas game, but I would go as a far as to state that he impacted the contest more so than any other Alabama player. In killing seven of his eight punts inside the Hogs' 20, Scott kept the Arkansas offense on the long field for nearly the entirety of the game. Against Mississippi State, Scott's 34-yard punt to the Bulldogs' 4 helped set up a UA safety that gave the Crimson Tide early momentum.
Scott's net average to date is 5.5 yards greater than that of Alabama's opponents. Stretch that out over the 6.3 punts per game that UA foes are averaging, and that's a net of 35 yards per game in the Crimson Tide's favor.
4.] Dominant defensive front
What happened: A deep and talented defensive line proved extremely difficult to run on while also showing improvement in the pass rush.
Why it was important: Led by future pros Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson, this Alabama defense has a pair of bell cow ends who can handle a variety of roles in Kirby Smart's defensive packages. And with Jonathan Allen, Dalvin Tomlinson and DJ Pettway all very much in the mix, the talent train doesn't end with Reed and Robinson.
Combine those guys with nose tackles Brandon Ivory and Darren Lake and you've got a front that has gone a long way in Alabama leading the SEC (and ranking second nationally) in rushing defense at 88.7 yards per game. UA leads the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, surrendering just three rushing scores through 13 games.
Meanwhile, with outside linebacker Xzavier Dickson (eight sacks, 10 quarterback hurries) coming on in his final season of eligibility, the pass rush has also improved, showing gains both in sacks (29) and quarterback hurries (54) from a season ago (22 sacks and 44 quarterback hurries).
3.] Close call unified the Crimson Tide
What happened: One week after falling at Ole Miss, Alabama gutted out a 14-13 win at Arkansas.
Why it was important: A team that appeared to be headed for its second straight loss, one that would have all but ended its Playoff hopes in early October, rode a strong run defense and some outstanding punting from Scott to eek out a one-point decision in Fayetteville. The victory served as a jelling point for the Crimson Tide, whose head coach made it a point to scold those who found fault with his team's play in the win.
āEverybodyās got such a high expectation of what our team should be,ā Saban said the following Monday. āI was just happy to see our players be happy about playing the game and winning. It really, sort of, if you want to know the truth about it, pisses me off when I talk to people that have this expectation like they are disappointed that we only won the game 14-13 and in the way we played. Really, thatās frustrating. You want to talk about something thatās frustrating, thatās frustrating, to me, for our players, who play with a lot of heart in the game.ā
The enthusiasm Saban spoke of was evident the following week, as UA shutout Texas A&M, 59-0, in Tuscaloosa. The energy we witnessed from this team in the win over the Aggies, both on the field and on the sideline, was unlike anything we've seen from a Saban team in his eight years at the helm -- and it carried over all the way through the SEC Championship Game.
2.] Fourth quarter magic
What happened: The Crimson Tide offense produced late in wins over LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn.
Why it was important: Down 13-10 to LSU with 50 seconds left to go, Alabama's Playoff hopes rested on an offense that had managed just one first down in the second half. Led by quarterback Blake Sims, UA proceeded to march 55 yards to set up Adam Griffith's 27-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. Sims hit wide receiverDeAndrew White for six in OT and the defense produced pass breakups on LSU's final two plays to give the Crimson Tide an unlikely win.
The Crimson Tide also answered the fourth-quarter bell in wins over Mississippi State and Auburn, with Sims converting critical third downs on a touchdown drive that give UA a cushion against the Bulldogs before leading a 21-point outburst for the offense in the final stanza of the Iron Bowl.
1.] Passing game exceeded all expectations
What happened: With a first-year starter at quarterback and a new offensive coordinator dialing up the plays, the Alabama offense saw improvement in several areas, including passing yards, total offense, third down conversions and red zone touchdown conversions.
Why it was important: So much for the offense leaning on the running game. While there's been a slight uptick in production on the ground compared to last season, Sims' growth behind center has exceeded any and all expectations (as if there were any to begin with).
Not only has Sims taken over as UA's single-season passing leader with 3,250 yards, he's produced in the clutch. Much of the aforementioned fourth-quarter success involved Sims making plays with both his arm and legs. And for that Lane Kiffin should be largely credited. From working out of the no huddle to taking care of a lot of the pre-snap duties usually handled by the quarterback, Kiffin has placed Sims in a situation where he can play more and manage less.
It hasn't hurt, either, that Amari Cooper has put together a season for the ages, setting UA and SEC marks in several categories.
http://alabama.247sports.com/Articl...a-is-in-the-College-Football-Playoff-34015095
