Handing out grades for Alabama’s 2014 season.

Offense: A-

Lane Kiffin’s first season as offensive coordinator was a success, as was Blake Sims’ only season as starting quarterback. The Sims-Amari Cooper connection was dynamite all season, providing sure-fire offense in a way that no other receiver in the country could. Wide receiver screens were used as an extension of the running game in true West Coast offense fashion. The offensive line wasn’t as strong as it has been in recent years, mainly thanks to injury and an inconsistent lineup. That didn’t have a huge effect on the running game, as the Crimson Tide still picked up 5.1 yards per carry, although that was down from 5.8 a year ago. T.J. Yeldon suffered through injuries, leading to a subpar season, while Derrick Henry never got the huge week-to-week workload many expected. The season was still a rousing success offensively, as the Tide set school records left and right.

Defense: B

Alabama’s run defense was as nasty as ever, leading the country in rushing yards allowed going into the Sugar Bowl. While the defensive side of the ball had its rough spots at the end of the season, it was stellar nearly all year. The Tide were able to generate a steady pass rush through a multitude of players, and the linebacking corps played a huge role in both stopping the run and slowing the pass. The weak link was at cornerback, where the Crimson Tide starters were inconsistent and the backups mostly unproven. Alabama made up for it with some of the best safety play in the SEC from Landon Collins and Nick Perry.

Special teams: C+

JK Scott is one of the best players at his position in the country and was recognized for it as a Ray Guy Award finalist. Scott showed the nation how valuable he’d been all season with his Sugar Bowl performance, a game in which he was arguably Alabama’s most valuable player. The rest of special teams had shaky moments. Adam Griffith missed three of his final six field goal attempts for the season, and his two misses against Ole Miss helped cost the Tide a game. Meanwhile, the punt and kick returners made a rash of mistakes during a rough mid-season stretch, and were an adventure fielding kicks all season.

Coaching: B+

With a relatively inexperienced team, Nick Saban may have put together one of the best coaching performances of his storied career. Saban each week talked about how proud of his team he was, and he knew that he was maximizing what he had on the roster. Saban answered questions about whether he and Kiffin could work together, despite some occasional griping about play calling.

Overall: B+

The season ended in disappointment, but Alabama rode this roster about as far as it could go. There were some issues on both sides of the ball, but the Tide did all they could to work around them.