PhillyGirl
Member
http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/09/nick_saban_loves_alabamas_offe.html
Nick Saban made it two sentences into a positive-sounding answer about Alabama's latest offensive onslaught before he sharpened his focus on what needs to be better.
"Let's just tell it like it is," Saban said during his Monday appearance at Birmingham's Monday Morning Quarterback Club. "You're not going to turn the ball over four times and have nine penalties on offense and win against really good teams, and we think Florida is a really good team."
Alabama survived and ultimately doubled up the Gators, 42-21, but it was tied midway through the third quarter. The game was far more difficult than it should be when Alabama out-gains the opponent, 672-200.
The upcoming schedule promises to be far less forgiving. If No. 10 Ole Miss beats Memphis on Saturday, the Crimson Tide's first true road test will likely pit it against one of the highest-ranked Rebels teams in years.
Alabama has seven offensive turnovers -- five fumbles and two interceptions. All but two gave the ball to the opponent inside Crimson Tide territory. One of the outsiders came on the goal line as a botched hand-off exchange prevented Alabama from scoring against Florida Atlantic.
Nineteen of Alabama's 27 penalties have been committed by the offense. The majority have been pre-snap issues.
Alabama simply can't count on being able to bounce back from all of its mistakes the way it has in its first four games, Saban said.
"Our team showed tremendous competitive character and resiliency to overcome these things, but that's still not what we really want to do as a team," Saban said. "Regardless of what the game plan is, that's an issue, and that's an issue that we got to get corrected."
Saban said Alabama's game-plan against the Gators was "good" but would have been even better if Crimson Tide players executed properly. Alabama scored on its first offensive play, an 87-yard Blake Sims pass to Kenyan Drake, and also scorched the Gators secondary with a 79-yard pass to Amari Cooper later in the quarter.
Cooper, despite being covered by All-American cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, caught 10 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns while Sims finished with 445 yards, the second-largest single-game total in Alabama history.
Alabama ranks second in the SEC and sixth in the nation in total offense (587.5 yards per game). The Crimson Tide is third in the SEC in passing offense (335.8) and fifth in rushing offense (251.8).
It's been exactly what Saban wanted from first-year offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. There's just so much room to be better.
"I love this, the way we play. I always want to play this way," Saban said. "I want to take what the defense gives. One of the things that we really like ... is try to eliminate the other team having the opportunity to give you a negative play because you don't have enough flexibility to either skip the ball out to a receiver or change the play and go in the other direction. And I think that's the one thing that we've done a really good job of so far offensively.
"I think Lane does a great job in planning that way, and the players have executed pretty well."
Nick Saban made it two sentences into a positive-sounding answer about Alabama's latest offensive onslaught before he sharpened his focus on what needs to be better.
"Let's just tell it like it is," Saban said during his Monday appearance at Birmingham's Monday Morning Quarterback Club. "You're not going to turn the ball over four times and have nine penalties on offense and win against really good teams, and we think Florida is a really good team."
Alabama survived and ultimately doubled up the Gators, 42-21, but it was tied midway through the third quarter. The game was far more difficult than it should be when Alabama out-gains the opponent, 672-200.
The upcoming schedule promises to be far less forgiving. If No. 10 Ole Miss beats Memphis on Saturday, the Crimson Tide's first true road test will likely pit it against one of the highest-ranked Rebels teams in years.
Alabama has seven offensive turnovers -- five fumbles and two interceptions. All but two gave the ball to the opponent inside Crimson Tide territory. One of the outsiders came on the goal line as a botched hand-off exchange prevented Alabama from scoring against Florida Atlantic.
Nineteen of Alabama's 27 penalties have been committed by the offense. The majority have been pre-snap issues.
Alabama simply can't count on being able to bounce back from all of its mistakes the way it has in its first four games, Saban said.
"Our team showed tremendous competitive character and resiliency to overcome these things, but that's still not what we really want to do as a team," Saban said. "Regardless of what the game plan is, that's an issue, and that's an issue that we got to get corrected."
Saban said Alabama's game-plan against the Gators was "good" but would have been even better if Crimson Tide players executed properly. Alabama scored on its first offensive play, an 87-yard Blake Sims pass to Kenyan Drake, and also scorched the Gators secondary with a 79-yard pass to Amari Cooper later in the quarter.
Cooper, despite being covered by All-American cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, caught 10 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns while Sims finished with 445 yards, the second-largest single-game total in Alabama history.
Alabama ranks second in the SEC and sixth in the nation in total offense (587.5 yards per game). The Crimson Tide is third in the SEC in passing offense (335.8) and fifth in rushing offense (251.8).
It's been exactly what Saban wanted from first-year offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. There's just so much room to be better.
"I love this, the way we play. I always want to play this way," Saban said. "I want to take what the defense gives. One of the things that we really like ... is try to eliminate the other team having the opportunity to give you a negative play because you don't have enough flexibility to either skip the ball out to a receiver or change the play and go in the other direction. And I think that's the one thing that we've done a really good job of so far offensively.
"I think Lane does a great job in planning that way, and the players have executed pretty well."
