🏈 ***Way too early Bama/Chokelahoma pregame Thread***

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

 

[Alabama17Tide]

Friday Practice report (Orange Bowl Prep) | BamaInsider.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama returned to practice Friday as it began preparations for its Orange Bowl matchup against Oklahoma on Dec. 29. The team moved indoors to escape rainy weather as players worked out in shorts and shells. Here are a few notes from the media viewing period.

— Tua Tagovailoa (high-ankle sprain) had his left ankle wrapped as well as a sleeve on his left calf. He threw off to the side with head trainer Jeff Allen while the rest of the quarterbacks went through latter drills. However, he did work on footwork drills later in the period.

— Tagovailoa was not at full speed but was moving pretty well. He definitely looks to be moving better than Jalen Hurts was following his high-ankle sprain earlier in the year.

— Terrell Lewis (ACL) and Chris Allen (ACL) were both suited up but did not participate in drills with the rest of the outside linebackers. The unit spent some of the period outside working on sleds, so we didn’t get to see much. Lewis seems to be moving fine despite not going through backpedaling drills. Both Allen and Lewis were wearing knee braces.

— Mike Locksley was at practice despite the early signing period being just five days away. He looked as active as ever and was talking with Tagovailoa early during the period.

— Slade Bolden (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) was wearing a No. 1 scout-team jersey representing Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman winner Kyler Murray (5-foot-10, 195 pounds). Bolden played quarterback in high school and served as the scout-team quarterback when Alabama prepared for The Citadel’s triple-option attack.

— Xavier Williams Williams (6-foot-1, 182 pounds) was wearing the No. 5 scout-team jersey representing Oklahoma’s leading receiver Marquis Brown (5-foot-10, 168 pounds).

— Alabama’s first unit offensive line consisted of Jonah Williams, Lester Cotton, Ross Pierschbacher, Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills from left to right. The second unit consisted of Scott Lashley, Deonte Brown, Chris Owens, Joshua Casher and Matt Womack.

— Jerry Jeudy led the receivers followed by DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs III, Williams, Derek Kief, Tyrell Shavers, Jaylen Waddle, Xavian Marks and Bolden. However, the order in receivers doesn’t necessarily reflect the depth chart.

— Taulia Tagovailoa was seen leaving practice before the viewing period. His father, Galu Tagovailoa was talking with coaches during the period.

— Recruit King Mwikuta was at practice.
​

1 Tony_Tsoukalas, 39 minutes ago
Last edited: 25 minutes ago

 

[musso]

— Terrell Lewis (ACL) and Chris Allen (ACL) were both suited up but did not participate in drills with the rest of the outside linebackers. The unit spent some of the period outside working on sleds, so we didn’t get to see much. Lewis seems to be moving fine despite not going through backpedaling drills. Both Allen and Lewis were wearing knee braces.​

​

Here's hoping we get contributions from these guys!

 

[XXL TideFan]

Finebaum had an Oklahoma beat writer on during my drive home today. He could not praise the offence enough. Conversely, he could not bad mouth the defense enough. Worst Oklahoma defense ever was his take on it. Said Bama would score at will.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Finebaum had an Oklahoma beat writer on during my drive home today. He could not praise the offence enough. Conversely, he could not bad mouth the defense enough. Worst Oklahoma defense ever was his take on it. Said Bama would score at will.

Sounds like what we've all been saying about their defense..

Their offense? Hasn't been tested defensively all year except once, by an Army D that is nowhere NEAR our D statistically, or athletically.

I'm gonna go ahead and also call that Murray may not 200 all-purpose yards against our motivated defense.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

 

[Alabama17Tide]

Saturday Insider Report (Orange Bowl Prep No. 2) | BamaInsider.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama remained indoors Saturday as it held its second practice in preparation for its Orange Bowl matchup against Oklahoma on Dec. 29. Players were dressed in full pads for the workout. Here are some notes from the media viewing period.

— Alabama had two early enrollees at practice as quarterback Paul Tyson and offensive lineman Pierce Quick both suited up for the first time after enrolling earlier this week. Wide receiver John Metchie also enrolled early but was not participating in practice.

— Quick and Tyson still have to go through an acclimation period and were dressed in helmets, shirts and shorts for the workout. The two four-stars were also teammates at Hewitt-Trussville High School. Quick stood to the side and watched as the rest of the offensive lineman went through contact drills. Tyson participated in both footwork drills as well as RPOs with the running backs.

— Tua Tagovailoa was moving well and participated in footwork drills with the rest of the quarterbacks. His left ankle is still taped, but from what we’ve seen in practice, he looks to be progressing very well from the high-ankle sprain he suffered in the SEC Championship Game.

— Due to graduation, there were several players missing from practice. Notable absences included Jalen Hurts, Damien Harris and Ross Pierschbacher.

— Linebackers Terrell Lewis (ACL) and Christopher Allen (ACL) were both absent from practice. The duo was at practice on Friday but neither player was participating in drills.

— I missed this Friday, but Kedrick James has returned to practice after he wasn’t spotted in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.

— Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (ACL) was seen leaving practice before the viewing session. He was dressed in full pads and had a brace on his right knee. Armour-Davis was not present during the viewing period.

— Despite his intention to transfer at the end of the season, offensive lineman Richie Petitbon is still practicing with the team.
​

1 Tony_Tsoukalas, 9 minutes ago
Last edited: 1 minute ago

 

[rick4bama]

 

[TerryP]

Here's a breakdown from Ben Litvin on Twitter.

I thought I’d share a few *very general* — and very late night — thoughts on how I think the Alabama defense should approach their matchup against the Oklahoma offense.

The biggest thing to kinda get out of the way at the beginning is that there’s no stopping this Oklahoma offense. They’re gonna score plenty of points on December 29th.

Their offense is one of two best in the country. Kyler is one of the two best quarterbacks in the country. Their offensive line is one of, if not the best unit in the entire country. Their skill guys are awesome, particularly Hollywood who is as electric as any receiver in CFB.

And Lincoln Riley is probably the best offensive coach in the country. It’s a crazy combination ... we’re talking about a historically good offense. They are an absolute machine.

And Alabama’s defense is good. Really good, even. But they’re not elite as a whole, nor are they elite in all that many specific areas. There’s no plus matchup here that can be leveraged to the point of turning the overall matchup in Alabama’s favor.
Off the top of my head, Oklahoma’s 25th percentile offensive performance probably puts them around 27 points. 50th percentile puts them around 35 points. And their 75th percentile puts them around 48 points. Their floor is really high, as is their ceiling.

But if Oklahoma scores 35 points — my rough guest at their 50th percentile performance — Alabama’s win expectancy is probably upwards of 75%. Maybe even higher. 35 points allowed would be a win for Alabama ... and there’s something rather freeing in that conclusion.

Alabama’s defense can go out there, give up plenty of points, and still effectively do their job. But that presents two challenges ... one psychological and one schematic.

I won’t spend much time discussing the psychological one, but it’s very real and significant. This game presents the one of the biggest challenges to Alabama’s “process”. Continuing to play the next play while giving up chunks of yards is an immense mental challenge.

And whether the football coaches, mental coaches, and team leaders can adequately prepare the entire defense for that challenge will go an extremely long way in determining whether Alabama gives up 35 points or 52 points.

The next challenge is schematic. One of the best parts about having the sort of margin for error that the Alabama defense has is that it frees them up to take chances. And that’s what’s going to get stops. An aggressive defense that’s hunting turnovers and splash plays.

I’ve seen lots of suggestions that Alabama should employ passive strategies to keep Kyler in the pocket. Mush rush and spy. If you do that then Kyler is going to have all day in the pocket and it’ll look exactly like one of his conference games. He’ll pick Alabama apart.

The only way they’re going to get stops is if they get after Kyler. That means allowing your edge rushers to get upfield. That means lots of TT twists. That means tons of different manufactured pressures. They absolutely *must* create negative plays and turnovers.

And all those things will, inevitably, free up some running lanes for Kyler. He’s going to make some plays with his legs. And it’s going to lead to points. But that’s ok, because Alabama can afford to give up plenty of points.

The tradeoff is well worth it. Oklahoma is going to score no matter what. But this way, Alabama maximizes their chances of creating mistakes. Kyler is not going to beat himself against a defense that plays passively. He’s way too good for that and so is the scheme.

Remember that amazing Chiefs/Rams game? The Rams didn’t line up and stop the Chiefs once that whole game. They won because their pass rush forced Mahomes into some mistakes and the Rams offense took care of the rest. That’s Alabama’s path to victory.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

He is going to be tough to beat out......him and Tuilia will push each other

 

[rick4bama]

He is going to be tough to beat out......him and Tuilia will push each other

Don't you think Mac will have something to say about this?

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Here's a breakdown from Ben Litvin on Twitter.

I thought I’d share a few *very general* — and very late night — thoughts on how I think the Alabama defense should approach their matchup against the Oklahoma offense.

The biggest thing to kinda get out of the way at the beginning is that there’s no stopping this Oklahoma offense. They’re gonna score plenty of points on December 29th.

Their offense is one of two best in the country. Kyler is one of the two best quarterbacks in the country. Their offensive line is one of, if not the best unit in the entire country. Their skill guys are awesome, particularly Hollywood who is as electric as any receiver in CFB.

And Lincoln Riley is probably the best offensive coach in the country. It’s a crazy combination ... we’re talking about a historically good offense. They are an absolute machine.

And Alabama’s defense is good. Really good, even. But they’re not elite as a whole, nor are they elite in all that many specific areas. There’s no plus matchup here that can be leveraged to the point of turning the overall matchup in Alabama’s favor.
Off the top of my head, Oklahoma’s 25th percentile offensive performance probably puts them around 27 points. 50th percentile puts them around 35 points. And their 75th percentile puts them around 48 points. Their floor is really high, as is their ceiling.

But if Oklahoma scores 35 points — my rough guest at their 50th percentile performance — Alabama’s win expectancy is probably upwards of 75%. Maybe even higher. 35 points allowed would be a win for Alabama ... and there’s something rather freeing in that conclusion.

Alabama’s defense can go out there, give up plenty of points, and still effectively do their job. But that presents two challenges ... one psychological and one schematic.

I won’t spend much time discussing the psychological one, but it’s very real and significant. This game presents the one of the biggest challenges to Alabama’s “process”. Continuing to play the next play while giving up chunks of yards is an immense mental challenge.

And whether the football coaches, mental coaches, and team leaders can adequately prepare the entire defense for that challenge will go an extremely long way in determining whether Alabama gives up 35 points or 52 points.

The next challenge is schematic. One of the best parts about having the sort of margin for error that the Alabama defense has is that it frees them up to take chances. And that’s what’s going to get stops. An aggressive defense that’s hunting turnovers and splash plays.

I’ve seen lots of suggestions that Alabama should employ passive strategies to keep Kyler in the pocket. Mush rush and spy. If you do that then Kyler is going to have all day in the pocket and it’ll look exactly like one of his conference games. He’ll pick Alabama apart.

The only way they’re going to get stops is if they get after Kyler. That means allowing your edge rushers to get upfield. That means lots of TT twists. That means tons of different manufactured pressures. They absolutely *must* create negative plays and turnovers.

And all those things will, inevitably, free up some running lanes for Kyler. He’s going to make some plays with his legs. And it’s going to lead to points. But that’s ok, because Alabama can afford to give up plenty of points.

The tradeoff is well worth it. Oklahoma is going to score no matter what. But this way, Alabama maximizes their chances of creating mistakes. Kyler is not going to beat himself against a defense that plays passively. He’s way too good for that and so is the scheme.

Remember that amazing Chiefs/Rams game? The Rams didn’t line up and stop the Chiefs once that whole game. They won because their pass rush forced Mahomes into some mistakes and the Rams offense took care of the rest. That’s Alabama’s path to victory.

Still calling bullshit.

The only way Chokelahoma scores 30 is in garbage time to make the score look less embarrassing.

They.
Have.
Only.
Been.
Tested.
Defensively.
Once.
All.
Year.
By.
A.
Scrub.
Army.
Team.

 

[JoshB]

He's a lot bigger than I expected for some reason. Would be cool if he could end up wearing #12 like Bear.

 

[TerryP]

@Sgt. Lincoln Osiris, glean from that what you will. It's an outlier from my point of view.

OU's time of possession was cut in half against Army—as I recall roughly 15 minutes—in a large part due to Army running the ball over 75 times in that game. It was less than 90 plays for their entire offense (again, IIRC.) I know the score, and what I believe is the "Army held them in check," doesn't quite fit.

Personally, I don't want to see Alabama attempt to just run the ball (like Army.) It's not what "got 'em here." I don't believe the defense will be able to contain their offense. Army didn't, relatively speaking. OU put up 28 in 15 minutes.

On the flip side of this...

I also think seeing OU put up 28 on the Tide is about right. 32, maybe. I don't see the OU defense being able to do the same against Bama.

 

[JoshB]

He is going to be tough to beat out......him and Tuilia will push each other

Don't you think Mac will have something to say about this?

I personally don't think Baby Tua is going to pan out the way everyone thinks. Every time I saw him against a defense that was halfway decent it was the players around him that impressed me. Against Hoover, I think he went almost the entire first half without completing a pass. He's very small, not that accurate, doesn't have a big arm. He's much faster and more elusive than Tua, though. Maybe Im wrong and he ends up being a perfect blend of Tua and Jalen or something, but I just don't see it.

 

[TerryP]

@BamaBoyJosh, I caught this a week, maybe a week and a half ago.

 

[planomateo]

Yeah, the time of possession in that game was crazy. Army had the possession for just shy of 3 quarters.

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Well LSU and 10RC wanted to Tua Jr to come to their school so I will go with that. Put the kid around elite players on the offense he might be a goodun. It worked out with #2.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

He is going to be tough to beat out......him and Tuilia will push each other

Don't you think Mac will have something to say about this?

Don't know. Mac is decent but these 2 are more than that. Paul is a big kid.
Regardless. Future is bright at QB

 

[mando]

I think about the OU vs Tx championship game. Bama is much better than Tx on both sides of the ball. So using that game as a comparison the score was 39-27. Seems like it would easily flip and likely the margin would grow.