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Alabama Football: Crimson Tide Get the Win, But Not All the Answers
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- Alabama Football: Crimson Tide Get the Win, But Not All the Answers
(Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News)
It wasn't pretty, but they got it done.
The Alabama Crimson Tide capped off homecoming with a 31-20 win against the Texas A&M Aggies on head coach Kalen DeBoer's 52nd birthday.
There was a lot to like, but there was also a lot to dislike, and we cover it all this morning.
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Let's dive into our takeaways from Alabama's win over the Aggies.
What Exactly is the Plan?
As I watched the game, I struggled to find out what the offense was trying to do.
It just felt stuck. Like a 30-year old car trying to drive itself out of a snowstorm. The wheels are turning but the movement isn't.
There was no run game. When Alabama did run the ball, it generated little yardage.
However, ESPN announcer Jesse Palmer made a very interesting point. With the injuries to center Racin Delgatty and eventually starting left guard William Sanders, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb may not have the trust in his o-line needed to deploy a legitimate run game anymore.
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That could very well be true. But in that case, you risk being a predictable offense, something we saw a lot of last season.
When the defense is expecting pass, pass, pass. They're going to prepare for that.
And it seemed like the offensive game plan seemed designed primarily to get Keelon Russell going.
To be fair, it's a very good reason. Russell is the straw that stirs this drink. But the problem is, Russell is also taking too much time to throw the ball.
Even with a clean pocket, Russell sometimes seems hesitant to trust his reads. The one exception would be if one of his receivers is wide open.
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Which brings me to my next point.
Trust Your Reads, Keelon
We know what Russell can do. We've seen it already this season, and we even saw it when he threw a total dime to Rico Scott with six seconds left in the third quarter.
When Russell holds onto the ball for too long, it stagnates the offense, it invigorates the defense, and it makes things that much harder to get a play off.
The ball needs to get out quicker.
It's understandable that experience plays a factor. Russell is still only 19; but we only have so much time to utilize that excuse. Eventually, something has to give.
His arm is what got him to this level. If he can't trust his own reads, then it's all for naught.
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Defense Continues to Be the Team's Strength
We saw it at the beginning of the game. Alabama had two straight interceptions. One being a pick-six from Dijon Lee and the other being from Chuck McDonald.
There were some lapses, as the Tide allowed Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed to get into a rhythm, but it's hard to imagine Alabama walking away with a win without the defense's performance.
One of the standouts from the defense was Fatutoa Henry, posting two sacks of the day and immediately tying for the team lead in sacks. Henry was incredibly active on the defensive line yesterday, applying plenty of pressure.
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Additionally, Alabama's cornerback depth is exceptional. Knowing that Zabien Brown was going to be out, and then Red Morgan being disqualified from the game after a targeting penalty, both McDonald and Ivan Taylor stepped in admirably.
It will be a struggle moving forward though without DL London Simmons who left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. We don't know the severity of the injury, but early indications suggest it may be serious enough to miss a few weeks.
Star of the Game
It's Rico Scott by a country mile.
Scott ended the day with six receptions for 156 yards, including a 36-yard gain that he took from a slant route.
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There was debate who would've been the top receiver after Ryan Coleman-Williams went down with a knee injury, but it's clear that Scott has taken the brass ring.
Scott's ability to run a crisp route and create separation has created a significant amount of value for himself and the team.
With Coleman-Williams sidelined, Scott's emergence gives Russell another reliable weapon in the passing game.
If the two can continue building on Saturday's performance, Alabama could have a legitimate receiving threat to lean on as the offense looks to find its rhythm.
