Somewhere along the line the University of Alabama football team lost itself during the first half of the season.

Maybe the pressure was getting to the players. They were pressing, almost scared to make a mistake. It wasn’t fun. Alabama played not to lose at Ole Miss and it ended up costing the Crimson Tide.

But a week later, despite playing poorly at Arkansas, it found a way to win.

Believe it or not, the key moment may have been during the fourth-and-1 play that senior quarterback Blake Sims jumped instead of diving for the first down. You may not have noticed, but prior to the snap the entire Alabama sideline was jumping up and down trying to inspire the players on the field.

When it didn’t work, the players still rallied around Sims, and likewise the defensive linemen were as supportive of their offensive counterparts.

“He was down, obviously because he didn’t get the first down,” junior running back T.J. Yeldon said about Sims. “We just all gathered behind him, always have to have each other’s back when things like that happen.”

In short, the Crimson Tide became more of a team.

Thus, Alabama’s approach for the rest of the season, which was perhaps best expounded by Jay Seawell, coach of the two-time reigning national champions in men’s golf, who visited with his friend Nick Saban this week.

“There’s an awful lot of anxiety sometimes with young people when sort of expectations and the reality of the situation you’re in don’t quite meet, and he said he had a lot of that on his team after they won the first national championship and came back the second, and had a lot of high expectations, a lot of anxiety,” Saban said. “He actually showed them the movie Secretariat. They had so much pressure on them because of their debt and the horse had to win the Triple Crown, the anxiety and the tension and all that, and finally she just said, “Let the horse run,” and it won by 31 lengths at the Belmont.

“Well that’s what we’re trying to let our guys do, just let them run. Just let them play.”

Regardless, here are the grades for the first half of the season:

Quarterbacks: Sims hasn’t been perfect, but he’s completed 101 of 149 attempts (67.8 percent) for 1,480 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions – way better than anyone predicted. It adds up to a 169.3 passer-efficiency rating, which his is seventh in the nation. Sims has also tallied 154 rushing yards and has been his best on third down, when he’s 27 of 36 (75 percent). Grade: A-

Running backs: The Crimson Tide running game has 258 carries for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 4.91 average per carry is down, and the 211.3 per game is 30th in the nation, but without the benefit of recording a gain longer than 29 yards. Even without Kenyan Drake (fractured leg) Alabama needs to run the ball better, but the holes just haven’t been there. Grade B

Wide receivers/Tight ends: Junior Amari Copper gets an “A” as he’s been the best wide receiver in the nation. He’s no longer first in catches and receiving, but still in the top five and a heavy favorite to win the Biletnikoff Award. DeAndrew White has missed half of the season with a shoulder injury yet has the same number of yards as Christion Jones, 154. Look for the Crimson Tide spread the ball around more down the stretch. Grade: B+.

Offensive line: One of the spots where Alabama could least afford an injury was center, and junior Ryan Kelly is likely out another week with a sprained knee. It played a big part in the 23-17 loss at Ole Miss, where the Crimson Tide had its chances but saw numerous drives stall in the Rebels territory. The right guard job is still unsettled and left guard Arie Kouandjio is dealing with an ankle injury. True freshman Cam Robinson is someone to build around at left tackle, but attention to detail and continuity have been lacking in the interior. Grade: C.

Defensive line: The defensive line started to show some of its potential at Arkansas after both Brandon Ivory and Jarran Reed served suspensions and A’Shawn Robinson sustained a sprained knee during training camp. Sophomore Jonathan Allen has been the Tide’s most consistent player in the trenches as this unit could be poised for a very strong second half of the season. Grade: B+.

Linebackers: One of the biggest surprises on the team has been the emergence of Xzavier Dickson and Ryan Anderson, who are first and second in team sacks with five and three, respectfully. Senior Trey DePriest got off to a slow start due to a sprained knee and one-game suspension, while junior Reggie Ragland has been coming on and had 12 tackles at Arkansas. Grade: B.

Defensive backs: The musical chairs at cornerback have continued, but the outlook is much brighter than a year ago. Junior Cyrus Jones has been a rock while sophomore Eddie Jackson has dealt with a knee and quad injury, and true freshman Tony Brown has shown a lot of promise. Safety Landon Collins leads the team with two interceptions, but if the secondary can avoid the injury bug from here on out the picks might start coming in bunches. Grade: B-.

Special teams: Talk about an extreme contrast. While freshmen punter JK Scott has been nothing short of outstanding, the return units have been terrible with major fumbling issues. The coaching staff responded by putting more veterans on special teams and mistakes like trying to dive on a bouncing punt are indications of pressing. Sophomore kick Adam Griffith has made 8 of 12 field goals, with all four misses coming in the last four games. Grade: C-.

Overall: Alabama’s struggles the past two weeks will either be the best thing that could have happened to the Crimson Tide, and cause this team to pull together, or signal the beginning of a disappointing end with possibly a bowl trip to Orlando like in 2010 — or worse. The talent is there and if this team grows up a little over he final six games Crimson Tide fans might be in for a wild finish in the brutal SEC West.