🏈 Thirty-three yards rushing

[bamatommy]

It's hard to win a game when you have 33 yards rushing on 31 carries:

link

Of course, the eight sacks count against the rushing total.

 

[Guest]

We looked bad in so many areas..I think it boils down to the players, never for one second, believing that they could lose this game..at least not until the end! We still had an amazing season though..I am thrilled with the 12 win season and can't wait til next season.

 

[Guest]

When a team throws together an OL with virtually no notice, using true freshman and playing guys where they have not practiced/played, then playing a Top-5 team, It would be insane to expect anything else. Seriously.

 

[Guest]

I don't buy that..I know we had a patchwork o-line but still, those guys have been playing football all their lives...it was a factor, sure, but overall..we played poorly.

 

[Guest]

I don't buy that..I know we had a patchwork o-line but still, those guys have been playing football all their lives...it was a factor, sure, but overall..we played poorly.

Pooie!
We lose the best OL in the country and add a true freshman and you think there would not be a huge differece?!? That's insane. The reason there are never Freshman OL All-Americans is because there is a HUGE difference. Hundreds of more plays, and 4 years more in the weightroom. Chemistry is huge as well. Consider the number of fumbles that follow bring in a new Center. Honestly, I can't believe I'm having to defend this observation.

 

[JoshB]

I don't buy that..I know we had a patchwork o-line but still, those guys have been playing football all their lives...it was a factor, sure, but overall..we played poorly.

whether u buy it or not is irrelevant. its fact.

 

[alagator]

When a team throws together an OL with virtually no notice, using true freshman and playing guys where they have not practiced/played, then playing a Top-5 team, It would be insane to expect anything else. Seriously.

It is interesting that some teams can suffer the loss of a player - or two, in their offensive line and the line not morph from a 'wall of granite' into a sieve.

I realize you are speaking metaphorically about the new starters having 'not practiced/played' but from their performance last night it appears your might be speaking literally. It is painfully obvious why we never played more than five O-linemen when the game was in doubt. I am really beginning to wonder if we really did spend any time coaching and teaching and practicing more than six or seven all year.

And the truly sad thing is, last night was something we have seen for about twelve years running. For a supposed major football program, we consistently field the most horrific offensive line in football. Schools become known as 'Linebacker U' (Penn State) or 'Tailback U' (USC) or 'Quarterback U' (BYU) because of a tradition of play from those positions. I guess we are the 'Anti-Offensive Line U.' (And when we do get a REALLY good player he makes sure to not play in our BCS game for one reason or another.)

The oddest part of all this was we witnessed the same pathetic line play in the Tulane game when Smith was out with an injury. I am wondering if Pendry and staff actually saw what the world saw that night - moving Johnson outside made the OL worse at TWO positions and not just one. Last night was a reincarnation of the Tulane game. One would have thought having seen how utterly incompetent the line was in the earlier game our offensive staff would have game planned for this game accordingly. I truly hope they did not - given the outcome. I would hate to think this reconstituted unit was incompetent running two different plans.

I think it is crystal clear from where the vast majority of the non-renewed scholarships will be come to make room for a full class of new recruits this February. I can think of about eight reserve O-linemen who will (or should at least) probably be told to look elsewhere if they want to continue their college football careers. If they were not able to beat out some of the reserves that we did play last night then their opportunity to help us WIN in the future is highly suspect.

 

[planomateo]

the OL had ZERO to do with our Defense looking like crap...the first 2 QTR's. Utah was scoring at will most of the game and VERY quickly. Our Oline hurt us, no doubt, but it's not the excuse for use getting a beat down in the big easy. It certainly helped, but not the only reason. lets stop making excuses for the team not being ready to play some football - Utah clearly was.

the entire bama nation wasn't ready for this game - coaches, players, and fans in my opinion. I watched most of you on the comment about how Utah was gonna get whooped by Bama. Walking around New Orleans for a few days talking to most folks, most fans thought this game was over before it had begun. Every Utah fan I met was just happy to be consider to play Alabama.

a plus in my head right now is we have a new QB next year whoever that may be, granted we are going to have some growing pains, just glad we have something different personally speaking.

 

[Guest]

Sorry boys, but we played poorly in other areas besides the o-line. Yes, we missed the starters there but that should not translate into piss poor defense and non tackling! That was my point. And yes, I still say that a Freshman should be able to do a little better job than they did in this game. I know that Andre is all world but still.......it was as though those guys had never lined up in front of a defender before.

 

[Guest]

When a team throws together an OL with virtually no notice, using true freshman and playing guys where they have not practiced/played, then playing a Top-5 team, It would be insane to expect anything else. Seriously.

It is interesting that some teams can suffer the loss of a player - or two, in their offensive line and the line not morph from a 'wall of granite' into a sieve.

I realize you are speaking metaphorically about the new starters having 'not practiced/played' but from their performance last night it appears your might be speaking literally. It is painfully obvious why we never played more than five O-linemen when the game was in doubt. I am really beginning to wonder if we really did spend any time coaching and teaching and practicing more than six or seven all year.

And the truly sad thing is, last night was something we have seen for about twelve years running. For a supposed major football program, we consistently field the most horrific offensive line in football. Schools become known as 'Linebacker U' (Penn State) or 'Tailback U' (USC) or 'Quarterback U' (BYU) because of a tradition of play from those positions. I guess we are the 'Anti-Offensive Line U.' (And when we do get a REALLY good player he makes sure to not play in our BCS game for one reason or another.)

The oddest part of all this was we witnessed the same pathetic line play in the Tulane game when Smith was out with an injury. I am wondering if Pendry and staff actually saw what the world saw that night - moving Johnson outside made the OL worse at TWO positions and not just one. Last night was a reincarnation of the Tulane game. One would have thought having seen how utterly incompetent the line was in the earlier game our offensive staff would have game planned for this game accordingly. I truly hope they did not - given the outcome. I would hate to think this reconstituted unit was incompetent running two different plans.

I think it is crystal clear from where the vast majority of the non-renewed scholarships will be come to make room for a full class of new recruits this February. I can think of about eight reserve O-linemen who will (or should at least) probably be told to look elsewhere if they want to continue their college football careers. If they were not able to beat out some of the reserves that we did play last night then their opportunity to help us WIN in the future is highly suspect.

OL, perhaps more than any other position on the field just takes time. OL is some mythical combination of brute strength (that Freshmen almost never have), chemistry (which certainly was lost, and perhaps made worse by also moving MJ as you pointed out), and skill (which only gets better with time. My point is that beyond the starters, who were marvelous, we do not have this YET. Saban has done a better job of recruiting talent than any of the previous coaches in the last 12 years (hence the #1 class). I anticipate that substituting on this level again will not be as bad in a couple of years, but as of today its a killer.