.Q1 Defense 14:41 - This is an option play where Hurts is actually reading Keke instead of the end. Alabama's interior line dominates us on this play. Alaka needs to be a lot more physical. Instead of attacking, he kind of lets the block come to him. Hall actually runs himself out of position. It's ok to set the edge like this, but you have to have linebackers filling in behind when this happens. Both of our LBs got cut off.
Q1 Defense 14:26 - This is another option play by Bama. They bring the TE across and read Hall on the play. We have two players playing the same assignment here, and that's what gets us beat. Both Hall and Washington are playing the dive man. In this case, Hall should have taken the dive while Washington plays the QB. Hurts makes the correct read and pulls the ball, and because he motioned his TE over...he's got a lead blocker. This just shows the importance of assignment football.
Q1 Defense 14:03 - Again, Bama's interior dominates us on this play. Our DT's look like they're pinching on this play, and the Bama OL just washing everything down and creates a big hole. If the DT's are pinching, then that means the gaps to the right of Alaka are spoken for. Had Alaka stepped left first, he may have done a better job of clogging that running lane.
Q1 Defense 13:45 - Our DT's get pushed back pretty far on this play here with just solo blocks. I think Alaka and Washington actually do a good job of taking on their blocks aggressively here. We just need our DTs to do a better job holding their ground here.
Q1 Defense 13:35 - This is the exact same play that Hurts beat us on at the 14:26 mark except we actually play this one correctly. Hall still plays the dive man first, so Hurts pulls the ball. This time Washington gets outside and plays the QB. That forces Hurts back inside and funnels him right to Hall. This was a good play for us.
Q1 Defense 12:48 - This is a quick throw to the left. Hurts was never going to hold onto the ball long enough here for our rush to get to him. You see the LT attempt to cut block Myles. Keke does a good job of getting his hands up and batting the ball.
Q1 Defense 12:44 - This is a good play for us. Hurts is looking to dump it off to the RB in the flat, but Myles pulls off his rush to cover him. Washington does the same thing on the opposite side. Hurts doesn't like what he sees, so he pulls the ball and our DTs are there to make the play.
Q1 Offense 11:57 - Oline is in man protection on the right side and slide protection on the left side. We do a good job blocking here, but RSJ drops an easy catch.
Q1 Offense 11:53 - This is a read option where Trevor is reading Tim Williams. Williams stays home and Trevor gives the ball. Prater and Gennessy wash down the defensive end. I think AG should have pulled up and gone to the next level after getting so much movement right away on the down lineman. Reuben Foster would have been his assignment who comes in unblocked and makes the tackle.
Q1 Offense 11:22 - So we're in an obvious passing down. It's 3rd and 9. Bama's two best players are lined up to the right side, so we slide our protection that way. Bama twists their DE and DT, and Tray Williams makes an amazing block on a guy that has 100 lbs on him. Great block that allows Knight enough time to hit Kirk over the middle for the 1st down.
Q1 Offense 11:06 - Josh was open on this play. This was just a quick pass to him on the right sideline, but it gets batted at the LOS. We're lucky this was a quick pass because McCoy got beat by Allen pretty quickly.
Q1 Offense 11:01 - I'm not sure how this play ever works. We don't block the right defensive end (actually an LB walked up) at all on this play and expect Kirk to get to the sideline on a speed sweep. I'm not a fan of this playcall.
Q1 Offense 10:28 - This will be all over Allen's NFL Draft highlights. Prater completely whiffs on this play, but I want to explain to you guys why it happened. Watch the rest of the OL actually drop into their pass set. Prater doesn't really drop at all. He has his weight too far forward and he lunges. This happens a lot when you try to overcompensate for a size and strength difference, but it leaves you extremely vulnerable. He's got to drop in his set and then punch. This is an amazing play by Allen, but it is 100% helmet to helmet contact. This should have at least been a 15 yard penalty for roughing if not targeting. They call it on Washington for using his hands later in the game, but they don't call it here. These SEC refs have got to be more consistent.
Q1 Defense 9:19 - I'm not really a fan of this alignment. We're outnumbered from the start on this play. I would have slid the line to the right. There's really not much use for Daylon to be in a 3 technique on the left side of the line with Bama stacked to the right. They've got the numbers so they run it left for a big gain. Watch the replay from behind shortly after this play and you'll see how bad of a situation we're in pre-snap.
Q1 Defense 8:10 - Great play by Washington here. The Bama OL is sliding towards Myles and in man protection on their right side, so this means the RB has to help when Washington blitzes. Washington just shucks him off and causes Hurts to throw it away.
Q1 Defense 8:02 - Watch Chevis on this play. The center initially gets position on him, but Chevis uses his leverage to create separation and hustles down the line. Now it would have been nice to have some help from the LBs or secondary, but they're all blocked. The effort from Chevis keeps this from being a big gain.
Q1 Defense 6:13 - This is actually pretty good effort from our DL fighting the flow of the Bama OL. Alaka just gets tied up with a blocker and the RB makes a great cut.
Q1 Defense 5:30 - This is where Qualen comes in for Dae Dae. He really jumps too far inside here. It's like he's playing the dive with no RB to take the dive. He makes a nice recovery and flushes Hurts to the sideline.
Q1 Offense 4:39 - This is a read option. This looks like a pull to me. Trevor would have had a decent gain had he kept it.
Q1 Offense 4:05 - This is a great job on the OL. McCoy is supposed to combo block with Lanfear, but he notices the blitzing LB. Everybody is blocked and Trayveon cuts upfield after he gets to the edge
Q1 Offense 3:34 - This might be a bust in Bama's alignment. This is an option to the right, and there is no man for Trevor to read, so he just pulls it for the easy first down.
Q1 Offense 3:15- This is a play where we try to get to the edge on Bama. McCoy pulls from the center position to lead the way, but he probably should have checked out of it and stuck with base blocking. Notice how close Reuben Foster is to the LOS. He's a blitz threat when he's that close. That sort of thing generally cancels your pull. Foster shoots the gap and makes the play.
Q1 Offense 2:03 - The Bama Defense stunts here and we completely mess it up. Tim Williams and Reuben Foster twist. AG gets beat inside immediately and the Bama DE makes the tackle in the backfield.
Q1 Defense 1:18 - Apparently we can sneeze on the WRs and get a PI. I hated this call.
Q1 Defense 1:11 - Not sure what Alaka is looking at here. Johnson slants inside hard, and the blocker chases him. Alaka should be right there to make the easy tackle for a minimal gain, but he's out of position. Should have been 1-2 yards max or no gain at all.
Q1 Defense 0:11 - This fumble is 100% cause by Daylon. I'm not even sure he got a hand on the ball or if the RB just wasn't sure if Hurts was going to give it to him or not. This is the type of fumble we have to get to win these games.
Q2 Defense 15:00 - This was a QB run the entire time. Bama fakes the option look, but pulls the backside guard to lead the way. They're taking advantage of us not having an extra linebacker on the field.
Q2 Defense 14:13 - Hall is in perfect position to make this play, but he somehow misses the tackle.
Q2 Defense 13:52 - Great penetration by Myles here. I'm not really sure what Hardreck is doing here he just kind of pulls up. With a little bit of hustle, the might have been able to make this play.
Q2 Defense 13:31 - At the beginning of the play, I thought Bama was going to walk in the end zone. Evans is our only hope, and he avoids his blocker and still makes the play.
Q2 Offense 12:48 - The line does a good job zone blocking to the left. McCoy notices Prater locked up on the DT, so he works his way up to the linebacker level and pancakes Reuben Foster. For then powers through for five more yards after initial contact with the safety.
Q2 Offense 12:28 - This is a great pre-snap read by Trevor. He knows where the ball is going right away when he sees Reuben Foster's body language. He's showing blitz, and if he comes he knows there is nobody to cover Ford in the flat.
Q2 Offense 12:12 - This is what we want our DTs to look like one day. Watch how both of Bama's DT's extend their arms to create separation. They both pull off a perfect push / pull technique almost in unison. Offensive linemen don't like to be off balance, so when they are forced backward they often over compensate to get back in position. The Bama DL uses that momentum to then pull you forward. As an OL, the combination of them pulling you forward plus you trying to compensate for being off balance throws you forward further than you want to go (and you fall forward helplessly). This is just great technique by them and Bama winning individual matchups.
Q2 Offense 11:38 - This is a great pickup by Trayveon Williams on what looks like an assignment bust between McCoy and Prater. The LB is showing blitz pre-snap, so we should have slid our protection that way. The LB is blitzing the B gap between the guard and the tackle. Prater blocks the DT while McCoy tries to peel back to the LB. It's just not a good protection. Willams does a great job and picks up the free LB, and give Knight enough time to get the ball to Kirk for the first down.
Q2 Offense 11:20 - This is an RPO. It looks like Williams would have had some nice yards had Trevor given him the ball. A quick screen to the short side of the field with defenders shifted that way just doesn't seem like the right call.
Q2 Offense 10:59 - I think this was rushed by Trevor. He reads the blitzer and immediately throws the ball to Kirk in the flat. It's a pretty bad throw. If the ball was placed better, Kirk may have been able to put a move on the Bama DB covering him, but the catch forces him into a bad position and the DB closes the gap.
Q2 Defense 9:07 - Great play by Myles here. Myles doesn't even have to hesitate here. His assignment is dive man from the start. Richard Moore is already on the outside for the QB if Hurts pulls it. Great call by Chavis here.
Q2 Offense 6:48 - This is a situation you've got to feel happening to you as an OL. The Bama DTs are twisting on this play. Prater stays locked on his man, when he should have passed him off to McCoy and picked up the guy coming around. He doesn't, and Prater's man has a free lane to the QB. Prater notices it late and tries to go back, but Knight is already running.
Q2 Defense 6:05 - Myles does a great job setting the edge. Can't do this any better.
Q2 Defense 5:26 - We have a 3 man front, and the Bama OL slides protection to Myles side. We blitz Washington from the opposite side while George is spying the QB. Hall beats his man and applies the pressure that forces Hurts to throw the ball without seeing George right there. This is what a well timed blitz can do when teams are concerned about Myles. And unfortunately, yes...that was targeting by Wilson.
Q2 Offense 5:17 - I love how aggressive we are after turnovers or even goal line stands, but Trevor has to be smarter here. The right decision would have been Ricky for a likely first down on the sideline. The other option might be Kirk deep up the seam since the safety isn't in position to cover over the top.
Q2 Defense 3:53 - This is a run blitz all the way. Myles does a great job of setting the edge again and forcing the RB to cut back inside right into Keke. The bama Tackle whiffed on Keke on this play too.
Q2 Defense 2:31 - Great pressure by George here. We also have 5 DL on the field here. I really like this front and I hope we play more of it against other run heavy teams. We send 6 and make Hurts throw it early.
Q2 Offense 2:20 - Good zone blocking to the left side of the line. Ford running hard.
Q2 Offense 1:54 - I'm not really sure what's happening up front here, but I like the end result. It's just not normal the way this played out. Prater and McCoy somehow switch spots. They pancake the DT and Knight hits RSJ for an acrobatic catch on the sideline.
Q2 Offense 1:44 - This is a power run to the left where the left side of the line blocks down hard, and we pull the entire right side of the line to lead the way.
Q2 Offense 1:38 - Trayveon has got to have better awareness on this play. both linebackers are blitzing on the left side of the formation, so that means he's going to be open immediately. He's got to get his head around and look for the ball right away when he sees that.
Q2 Offense 0:52 - Good read by Knight here. The DE crashes down, and Trevor pulls the ball. Bama's DB (#15) is in man coverage on Kirk. He could easily make the tackle on Knight, but because they're in man coverage he doesn't even look at Knight. Trevor runs right by him for a big gain.
Q2 Offense 0:45 - Good protection up front, but an even better throw by Knight. Perfect placement on the back shoulder throw to get Josh the TD. Btw, ridiculous no call on PI by the Bama DB.
Q2 Special Teams 0:38 - Why the hell would we squib kick this thing here and give Bama a short field???? Just kick it out the back like you have been all year.
Q3 Offense 14:27 - This is a good play call in this situation. We pull the left guard and the left tackle across to the right side of the field. That movement causes the Bama MLB to flow that direction, but we hand it off to Ford going left for a big gain.
Q3 Offense 14:03 - This is an option play with a Guard Tackle Trap. In this case, when the read man stays outside Trevor is supposed to pull the ball. He does, but Jonathan Allen plays this perfectly from his DT spot. He stuffs his blocker and keeps his outside hand free. He didn't make the tackle, but he made the play. Not much you can do there when they play it that well.
Q3 Offense 13:17 - Gotta love free plays.
Q3 Offense 13:02 - Great blitz pickup by Ford here. Prater actually should be able to see this sooner than he does. He does make the adjustment, and then Ford helps out. This is a great throw by Trevor off of his back foot for the TD.
Q3 Defense 12:48 - Great pressure by Myles and Dae Dae. George is spying Hurts and Henderson cleans up.
Q3 Defense 11:36 - Everybody wants to blame Washington for not ending this drive, but Evans has a clear shot to stop Hurts before the 1st down marker here if he doesn't go for the kill shot.
Q3 Defense 10:56 - This is the roughing the passer call. We were playing really good defense on this drive up until this point, but we gave them life for the second time on this drive. Again, this one is called for hands to the QB's head, but the Allen highlight is a no call. Refs have got to be more consistent.
Q3 Defense 9:11 - So many chances to get him in the backfield...
Q3 Defense 8:33 - Alaka does a great job attacking his gap on this play. This is something we could have used out of him earlier in the game. Johnson has got to do a better job of squeezing down to close the gap.
Q3 Defense 7:45 - We weren't really attacking with the MLB as much in the first half as we were on this drive, so I don't know if this is a halftime adjustment by Bama or just something they did on the fly. With Alaka attacking his gap so hard, there's nobody left to scrape across the top. Hurts pulls the ball and runs for a big gain.
Q3 Defense 6:40 - This play might look familiar to some of you. This is the exact same play that Bama ran when Deshazor picked the ball off at the goal line in 2012. We made the change in coverage in 2012 and we didn't here. One gripe I do have on this play is that they clearly have an ineligible man downfield (The center #75 - he's actually all the way back with the safeties). We had that called on us earlier, but they didn't call it on Bama here. Again...inconsistent refs.
(This year's play)
(2012 Bama play)
Q3 Offense 6:05 - This is a bad job by Gennessy on this play. This probably wasn't going to go for many yards, but AG gets beat badly by Allen here.
Q3 Defense 5:06 - Washington times his inside move very well waiting for Hall to engage with his man. This makes Hurts run and flushes him straight to Johnson.
Q3 Defense 4:25 - This is the type of defense I like to see. The Bama OL is sliding to their protection to the right side of the line. We've already got 3 players rushing from that side. The Bama OL is on man protection on the left side, and we've already got 2 players that they'll try to pick up. That means George will come through untouched. Even if they adjusted, somebody was going to come free to pressure the QB. Unfortunately Hall jumped.
Q3 Defense 4:19 - Great play by Myles here. He immediately reacts to the handoff and sprints outside to cut off the RB. Would have been even better if he made the tackle, but he forces him inside to George.
Q3 Defense 3:34 - Not the best design to have a small WR try to block Hall on this play. Hall does a great job of stringing this play out.
Q3 Offense 2:27 - This actually looks like a pull all the way. Trevor hands off the ball and Ford makes the Bama DT miss in the backfield. Knight would have had some pretty good yards if he pulled. The DB that would be scraping over the top would have to choose between Knight or Kirk. This was a big play opportunity with the right read.
Q3 Offense 2:01 - Another amazing effort and run by Ford. This should not have happened, but I'll take it.
Q3 Offense 1:42 - I'm not sure why Trevor threw this screen to Kirk here. Bama has 2 defenders over there with a safety over the top. If we hand this ball off running to the left, we've got a better chance.
Q3 Offense 1:16 - Knight has to know that he doesn't have time to do this. I think his backup plan was to throw it to Williams underneath, but that's a long time to ask the OL to block this DL.
Q3 Offense 0:31 - Knight has got to pull this ball! This is not like our other option plays where the RB takes it up the middle and the QB goes outside. This is actually the opposite here. This is a Guard Tackle Trap again, so Knight already knows the DE will be unblocked. Knight should have pulled this ball immediately and followed his linemen up the middle. Bama gets a free TD. It wasn't even a high snap like the announcers are trying to say.
Q4 Offense 14:00 - I don't know what to say here. Ball just slips out of Trevor's hand. Lanfear got beat, but that didn't cause the fumble.
Q4 Defense 13:44 - Option ply by Hurts. Dae Dae plays the RB while Washinton jumps in the gap to contain the QB. Our DT got demolished on the play, so the gap is just too big for Washington to defend.
Q4 Defense 12:40 - Big run by Hurts here. Washington just whiffs on the tackle even while on a QB spy. The problem is he's not squaring up for the tackle. Hurts cuts while Washington's feet are crossed over. This is why linebackers do all those shuffle drills.
Q4 Offense 12:19 - Pretty good protection here with a throw up the seam to Josh.
Q4 Offense 12:09 - Prater just doesn't even block Allen. He and McCoy both go for the Mike linebacker. Just an assignment bust here. Play was over before the RB got the ball.
Q4 Offense 10:24 - Prater gets beat right off the bat here again. He's not really dropping in his set, and he's relying on his forward body lean for punch.
Q4 Defense 8:15 - You'd think teams would learn that you can't block Myles by pulling across the formation like that.
Q4 Offense 3:04 - London gets beat badly here. He just doesn't get out into his set fast enough and gets beat around the edge for a huge sack
Q4 Offense 1:53 - The same exact thing happens to London on this play. He usually doesn't have this problem.
Q1 Defense 14:26 - This is another option play by Bama. They bring the TE across and read Hall on the play. We have two players playing the same assignment here, and that's what gets us beat. Both Hall and Washington are playing the dive man. In this case, Hall should have taken the dive while Washington plays the QB. Hurts makes the correct read and pulls the ball, and because he motioned his TE over...he's got a lead blocker. This just shows the importance of assignment football.
Q1 Defense 14:03 - Again, Bama's interior dominates us on this play. Our DT's look like they're pinching on this play, and the Bama OL just washing everything down and creates a big hole. If the DT's are pinching, then that means the gaps to the right of Alaka are spoken for. Had Alaka stepped left first, he may have done a better job of clogging that running lane.
Q1 Defense 13:45 - Our DT's get pushed back pretty far on this play here with just solo blocks. I think Alaka and Washington actually do a good job of taking on their blocks aggressively here. We just need our DTs to do a better job holding their ground here.
Q1 Defense 13:35 - This is the exact same play that Hurts beat us on at the 14:26 mark except we actually play this one correctly. Hall still plays the dive man first, so Hurts pulls the ball. This time Washington gets outside and plays the QB. That forces Hurts back inside and funnels him right to Hall. This was a good play for us.
Q1 Defense 12:48 - This is a quick throw to the left. Hurts was never going to hold onto the ball long enough here for our rush to get to him. You see the LT attempt to cut block Myles. Keke does a good job of getting his hands up and batting the ball.
Q1 Defense 12:44 - This is a good play for us. Hurts is looking to dump it off to the RB in the flat, but Myles pulls off his rush to cover him. Washington does the same thing on the opposite side. Hurts doesn't like what he sees, so he pulls the ball and our DTs are there to make the play.
Q1 Offense 11:57 - Oline is in man protection on the right side and slide protection on the left side. We do a good job blocking here, but RSJ drops an easy catch.
Q1 Offense 11:53 - This is a read option where Trevor is reading Tim Williams. Williams stays home and Trevor gives the ball. Prater and Gennessy wash down the defensive end. I think AG should have pulled up and gone to the next level after getting so much movement right away on the down lineman. Reuben Foster would have been his assignment who comes in unblocked and makes the tackle.
Q1 Offense 11:22 - So we're in an obvious passing down. It's 3rd and 9. Bama's two best players are lined up to the right side, so we slide our protection that way. Bama twists their DE and DT, and Tray Williams makes an amazing block on a guy that has 100 lbs on him. Great block that allows Knight enough time to hit Kirk over the middle for the 1st down.
Q1 Offense 11:06 - Josh was open on this play. This was just a quick pass to him on the right sideline, but it gets batted at the LOS. We're lucky this was a quick pass because McCoy got beat by Allen pretty quickly.
Q1 Offense 11:01 - I'm not sure how this play ever works. We don't block the right defensive end (actually an LB walked up) at all on this play and expect Kirk to get to the sideline on a speed sweep. I'm not a fan of this playcall.
Q1 Offense 10:28 - This will be all over Allen's NFL Draft highlights. Prater completely whiffs on this play, but I want to explain to you guys why it happened. Watch the rest of the OL actually drop into their pass set. Prater doesn't really drop at all. He has his weight too far forward and he lunges. This happens a lot when you try to overcompensate for a size and strength difference, but it leaves you extremely vulnerable. He's got to drop in his set and then punch. This is an amazing play by Allen, but it is 100% helmet to helmet contact. This should have at least been a 15 yard penalty for roughing if not targeting. They call it on Washington for using his hands later in the game, but they don't call it here. These SEC refs have got to be more consistent.
Q1 Defense 9:19 - I'm not really a fan of this alignment. We're outnumbered from the start on this play. I would have slid the line to the right. There's really not much use for Daylon to be in a 3 technique on the left side of the line with Bama stacked to the right. They've got the numbers so they run it left for a big gain. Watch the replay from behind shortly after this play and you'll see how bad of a situation we're in pre-snap.
Q1 Defense 8:10 - Great play by Washington here. The Bama OL is sliding towards Myles and in man protection on their right side, so this means the RB has to help when Washington blitzes. Washington just shucks him off and causes Hurts to throw it away.
Q1 Defense 8:02 - Watch Chevis on this play. The center initially gets position on him, but Chevis uses his leverage to create separation and hustles down the line. Now it would have been nice to have some help from the LBs or secondary, but they're all blocked. The effort from Chevis keeps this from being a big gain.
Q1 Defense 6:13 - This is actually pretty good effort from our DL fighting the flow of the Bama OL. Alaka just gets tied up with a blocker and the RB makes a great cut.
Q1 Defense 5:30 - This is where Qualen comes in for Dae Dae. He really jumps too far inside here. It's like he's playing the dive with no RB to take the dive. He makes a nice recovery and flushes Hurts to the sideline.
Q1 Offense 4:39 - This is a read option. This looks like a pull to me. Trevor would have had a decent gain had he kept it.
Q1 Offense 4:05 - This is a great job on the OL. McCoy is supposed to combo block with Lanfear, but he notices the blitzing LB. Everybody is blocked and Trayveon cuts upfield after he gets to the edge
Q1 Offense 3:34 - This might be a bust in Bama's alignment. This is an option to the right, and there is no man for Trevor to read, so he just pulls it for the easy first down.
Q1 Offense 3:15- This is a play where we try to get to the edge on Bama. McCoy pulls from the center position to lead the way, but he probably should have checked out of it and stuck with base blocking. Notice how close Reuben Foster is to the LOS. He's a blitz threat when he's that close. That sort of thing generally cancels your pull. Foster shoots the gap and makes the play.
Q1 Offense 2:03 - The Bama Defense stunts here and we completely mess it up. Tim Williams and Reuben Foster twist. AG gets beat inside immediately and the Bama DE makes the tackle in the backfield.
Q1 Defense 1:18 - Apparently we can sneeze on the WRs and get a PI. I hated this call.
Q1 Defense 1:11 - Not sure what Alaka is looking at here. Johnson slants inside hard, and the blocker chases him. Alaka should be right there to make the easy tackle for a minimal gain, but he's out of position. Should have been 1-2 yards max or no gain at all.
Q1 Defense 0:11 - This fumble is 100% cause by Daylon. I'm not even sure he got a hand on the ball or if the RB just wasn't sure if Hurts was going to give it to him or not. This is the type of fumble we have to get to win these games.
Q2 Defense 15:00 - This was a QB run the entire time. Bama fakes the option look, but pulls the backside guard to lead the way. They're taking advantage of us not having an extra linebacker on the field.
Q2 Defense 14:13 - Hall is in perfect position to make this play, but he somehow misses the tackle.
Q2 Defense 13:52 - Great penetration by Myles here. I'm not really sure what Hardreck is doing here he just kind of pulls up. With a little bit of hustle, the might have been able to make this play.
Q2 Defense 13:31 - At the beginning of the play, I thought Bama was going to walk in the end zone. Evans is our only hope, and he avoids his blocker and still makes the play.
Q2 Offense 12:48 - The line does a good job zone blocking to the left. McCoy notices Prater locked up on the DT, so he works his way up to the linebacker level and pancakes Reuben Foster. For then powers through for five more yards after initial contact with the safety.
Q2 Offense 12:28 - This is a great pre-snap read by Trevor. He knows where the ball is going right away when he sees Reuben Foster's body language. He's showing blitz, and if he comes he knows there is nobody to cover Ford in the flat.
Q2 Offense 12:12 - This is what we want our DTs to look like one day. Watch how both of Bama's DT's extend their arms to create separation. They both pull off a perfect push / pull technique almost in unison. Offensive linemen don't like to be off balance, so when they are forced backward they often over compensate to get back in position. The Bama DL uses that momentum to then pull you forward. As an OL, the combination of them pulling you forward plus you trying to compensate for being off balance throws you forward further than you want to go (and you fall forward helplessly). This is just great technique by them and Bama winning individual matchups.
Q2 Offense 11:38 - This is a great pickup by Trayveon Williams on what looks like an assignment bust between McCoy and Prater. The LB is showing blitz pre-snap, so we should have slid our protection that way. The LB is blitzing the B gap between the guard and the tackle. Prater blocks the DT while McCoy tries to peel back to the LB. It's just not a good protection. Willams does a great job and picks up the free LB, and give Knight enough time to get the ball to Kirk for the first down.
Q2 Offense 11:20 - This is an RPO. It looks like Williams would have had some nice yards had Trevor given him the ball. A quick screen to the short side of the field with defenders shifted that way just doesn't seem like the right call.
Q2 Offense 10:59 - I think this was rushed by Trevor. He reads the blitzer and immediately throws the ball to Kirk in the flat. It's a pretty bad throw. If the ball was placed better, Kirk may have been able to put a move on the Bama DB covering him, but the catch forces him into a bad position and the DB closes the gap.
Q2 Defense 9:07 - Great play by Myles here. Myles doesn't even have to hesitate here. His assignment is dive man from the start. Richard Moore is already on the outside for the QB if Hurts pulls it. Great call by Chavis here.
Q2 Offense 6:48 - This is a situation you've got to feel happening to you as an OL. The Bama DTs are twisting on this play. Prater stays locked on his man, when he should have passed him off to McCoy and picked up the guy coming around. He doesn't, and Prater's man has a free lane to the QB. Prater notices it late and tries to go back, but Knight is already running.
Q2 Defense 6:05 - Myles does a great job setting the edge. Can't do this any better.
Q2 Defense 5:26 - We have a 3 man front, and the Bama OL slides protection to Myles side. We blitz Washington from the opposite side while George is spying the QB. Hall beats his man and applies the pressure that forces Hurts to throw the ball without seeing George right there. This is what a well timed blitz can do when teams are concerned about Myles. And unfortunately, yes...that was targeting by Wilson.
Q2 Offense 5:17 - I love how aggressive we are after turnovers or even goal line stands, but Trevor has to be smarter here. The right decision would have been Ricky for a likely first down on the sideline. The other option might be Kirk deep up the seam since the safety isn't in position to cover over the top.
Q2 Defense 3:53 - This is a run blitz all the way. Myles does a great job of setting the edge again and forcing the RB to cut back inside right into Keke. The bama Tackle whiffed on Keke on this play too.
Q2 Defense 2:31 - Great pressure by George here. We also have 5 DL on the field here. I really like this front and I hope we play more of it against other run heavy teams. We send 6 and make Hurts throw it early.
Q2 Offense 2:20 - Good zone blocking to the left side of the line. Ford running hard.
Q2 Offense 1:54 - I'm not really sure what's happening up front here, but I like the end result. It's just not normal the way this played out. Prater and McCoy somehow switch spots. They pancake the DT and Knight hits RSJ for an acrobatic catch on the sideline.
Q2 Offense 1:44 - This is a power run to the left where the left side of the line blocks down hard, and we pull the entire right side of the line to lead the way.
Q2 Offense 1:38 - Trayveon has got to have better awareness on this play. both linebackers are blitzing on the left side of the formation, so that means he's going to be open immediately. He's got to get his head around and look for the ball right away when he sees that.
Q2 Offense 0:52 - Good read by Knight here. The DE crashes down, and Trevor pulls the ball. Bama's DB (#15) is in man coverage on Kirk. He could easily make the tackle on Knight, but because they're in man coverage he doesn't even look at Knight. Trevor runs right by him for a big gain.
Q2 Offense 0:45 - Good protection up front, but an even better throw by Knight. Perfect placement on the back shoulder throw to get Josh the TD. Btw, ridiculous no call on PI by the Bama DB.
Q2 Special Teams 0:38 - Why the hell would we squib kick this thing here and give Bama a short field???? Just kick it out the back like you have been all year.
Q3 Offense 14:27 - This is a good play call in this situation. We pull the left guard and the left tackle across to the right side of the field. That movement causes the Bama MLB to flow that direction, but we hand it off to Ford going left for a big gain.
Q3 Offense 14:03 - This is an option play with a Guard Tackle Trap. In this case, when the read man stays outside Trevor is supposed to pull the ball. He does, but Jonathan Allen plays this perfectly from his DT spot. He stuffs his blocker and keeps his outside hand free. He didn't make the tackle, but he made the play. Not much you can do there when they play it that well.
Q3 Offense 13:17 - Gotta love free plays.
Q3 Offense 13:02 - Great blitz pickup by Ford here. Prater actually should be able to see this sooner than he does. He does make the adjustment, and then Ford helps out. This is a great throw by Trevor off of his back foot for the TD.
Q3 Defense 12:48 - Great pressure by Myles and Dae Dae. George is spying Hurts and Henderson cleans up.
Q3 Defense 11:36 - Everybody wants to blame Washington for not ending this drive, but Evans has a clear shot to stop Hurts before the 1st down marker here if he doesn't go for the kill shot.
Q3 Defense 10:56 - This is the roughing the passer call. We were playing really good defense on this drive up until this point, but we gave them life for the second time on this drive. Again, this one is called for hands to the QB's head, but the Allen highlight is a no call. Refs have got to be more consistent.
Q3 Defense 9:11 - So many chances to get him in the backfield...
Q3 Defense 8:33 - Alaka does a great job attacking his gap on this play. This is something we could have used out of him earlier in the game. Johnson has got to do a better job of squeezing down to close the gap.
Q3 Defense 7:45 - We weren't really attacking with the MLB as much in the first half as we were on this drive, so I don't know if this is a halftime adjustment by Bama or just something they did on the fly. With Alaka attacking his gap so hard, there's nobody left to scrape across the top. Hurts pulls the ball and runs for a big gain.
Q3 Defense 6:40 - This play might look familiar to some of you. This is the exact same play that Bama ran when Deshazor picked the ball off at the goal line in 2012. We made the change in coverage in 2012 and we didn't here. One gripe I do have on this play is that they clearly have an ineligible man downfield (The center #75 - he's actually all the way back with the safeties). We had that called on us earlier, but they didn't call it on Bama here. Again...inconsistent refs.
(This year's play)
(2012 Bama play)
Q3 Offense 6:05 - This is a bad job by Gennessy on this play. This probably wasn't going to go for many yards, but AG gets beat badly by Allen here.
Q3 Defense 5:06 - Washington times his inside move very well waiting for Hall to engage with his man. This makes Hurts run and flushes him straight to Johnson.
Q3 Defense 4:25 - This is the type of defense I like to see. The Bama OL is sliding to their protection to the right side of the line. We've already got 3 players rushing from that side. The Bama OL is on man protection on the left side, and we've already got 2 players that they'll try to pick up. That means George will come through untouched. Even if they adjusted, somebody was going to come free to pressure the QB. Unfortunately Hall jumped.
Q3 Defense 4:19 - Great play by Myles here. He immediately reacts to the handoff and sprints outside to cut off the RB. Would have been even better if he made the tackle, but he forces him inside to George.
Q3 Defense 3:34 - Not the best design to have a small WR try to block Hall on this play. Hall does a great job of stringing this play out.
Q3 Offense 2:27 - This actually looks like a pull all the way. Trevor hands off the ball and Ford makes the Bama DT miss in the backfield. Knight would have had some pretty good yards if he pulled. The DB that would be scraping over the top would have to choose between Knight or Kirk. This was a big play opportunity with the right read.
Q3 Offense 2:01 - Another amazing effort and run by Ford. This should not have happened, but I'll take it.
Q3 Offense 1:42 - I'm not sure why Trevor threw this screen to Kirk here. Bama has 2 defenders over there with a safety over the top. If we hand this ball off running to the left, we've got a better chance.
Q3 Offense 1:16 - Knight has to know that he doesn't have time to do this. I think his backup plan was to throw it to Williams underneath, but that's a long time to ask the OL to block this DL.
Q3 Offense 0:31 - Knight has got to pull this ball! This is not like our other option plays where the RB takes it up the middle and the QB goes outside. This is actually the opposite here. This is a Guard Tackle Trap again, so Knight already knows the DE will be unblocked. Knight should have pulled this ball immediately and followed his linemen up the middle. Bama gets a free TD. It wasn't even a high snap like the announcers are trying to say.
Q4 Offense 14:00 - I don't know what to say here. Ball just slips out of Trevor's hand. Lanfear got beat, but that didn't cause the fumble.
Q4 Defense 13:44 - Option ply by Hurts. Dae Dae plays the RB while Washinton jumps in the gap to contain the QB. Our DT got demolished on the play, so the gap is just too big for Washington to defend.
Q4 Defense 12:40 - Big run by Hurts here. Washington just whiffs on the tackle even while on a QB spy. The problem is he's not squaring up for the tackle. Hurts cuts while Washington's feet are crossed over. This is why linebackers do all those shuffle drills.
Q4 Offense 12:19 - Pretty good protection here with a throw up the seam to Josh.
Q4 Offense 12:09 - Prater just doesn't even block Allen. He and McCoy both go for the Mike linebacker. Just an assignment bust here. Play was over before the RB got the ball.
Q4 Offense 10:24 - Prater gets beat right off the bat here again. He's not really dropping in his set, and he's relying on his forward body lean for punch.
Q4 Defense 8:15 - You'd think teams would learn that you can't block Myles by pulling across the formation like that.
Q4 Offense 3:04 - London gets beat badly here. He just doesn't get out into his set fast enough and gets beat around the edge for a huge sack
Q4 Offense 1:53 - The same exact thing happens to London on this play. He usually doesn't have this problem.
