The biggest takeaway most people gained from Alabama’s 52-6 drubbing of USC is Alabama has a scary amount of talent.
The Crimson Tide has so much talent that the offense may eventually thrive no matter who starts at quarterback, but also because the team has confidence in all three quarterbacks.
“There’s really not, surprisingly, that big of a difference,” Alabama offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher said in an SEC Network interview on Tuesday. “Each three of the quarterbacks brings something very different to the table, but as far as ability-wise, they’re all three great, and the coaching staff has done a really nice job of just preparing all three of them go out there and play and execute the game plan.”
So a really scary thought for most of the country is, while Alabama would be hard-pressed to improve defensively, the team can easily improve offensively despite a very balanced effort (242 rushing yards, 223 passing yards).
“I think offensively we can do a lot better,” Pierschbacher said. “Our defense played good, and they kind of carried us in the first half, but we need to do a better job offensively as far as executing our job.”
As head coach Nick Saban pointed out after the game, the team had just one first down during the first quarter. That first down, which came on the very first play from scrimmage when receiver ArDarius Stewart ran 17 yards, was wasted when both center Bradley Bozeman and Damien Harris were unable to block USC linebacker Michael Hutchings blitzing straight through the center for an 11-yard sack of quarterback Blake Barnett on 3rd-and-9 three plays later.
After five offensive possessions, that run by Stewart was Alabama’s longest run of the game. The second-longest was a quarterback keeper by Hurts for nine yards. The quarterbacks were a combined 4-for-8 passing for just 12 net yards.
The offense was spurred in the first half by two big plays: A 39-yard touchdown from a Hurts-to-Stewart connection and a 46-yard run by Harris. The team’s offense had a much stronger showing in the second half. However, the offense received its initial boost from Hurts. His ability to make strong throws and run the ball not only opened up the passing game, but it also opened things up for Harris and the running game on the whole.
“I thought we played sloppy at times,” Saban said after the game. “We made a lot of big plays, but we’ve got to be more consistent in our execution, especially on offense. So we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
In addition to missed assignments that resulted in three sacks on the night, the Alabama offensive line also committed two false starts in the third quarter. That isn’t something a coach wants to see, especially at a neutral site because a hostile away stadium could result in a much higher number of penalties. Pierschbacher believes the offensive struggles at the start of the game may have been due to nervousness in the first game of the season and just getting back into a true game environment.
“I think we know we can clean up a lot and just false starts and stuff like that and just blocking assignments,” he said. “Us as an offensive line, we can do a lot better I think. Just going into Week 2, we need to make a lot of improvements, and we’re looking to do that today in practice as well.”
For most of the offseason, Pierschbacher took reps at center and Bozeman practiced at right guard, although the team practiced in the game formation with Bozeman at center and Pierschbacher at right guard the week before the game. Still, both players might have had a few hiccups due to the change.
Cam Robinson and Lester Cotton played well despite being the culprits for those two false start flags. Meanwhile, true freshman Jonah Williams earned SEC Freshman of the Week for his outstanding play at right tackle. While the line played well on the whole, the unit can do better.
When looking at 52 points, it’s easy to forget Calvin Ridley had just nine receiving yards, O.J. Howard had just 39 receiving yards and Gehrig Dieter had just one catch. Robert Foster didn’t even record a catch. All four receivers could easily have had better numbers.
So while the offensive outpouring in game one was impressive, this Alabama roster is capable of much more.
