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The intangible Tide: On Alabama’s ‘improved focus’ in this year’s playoff
By Will Heath
Published:
Determining levels of focus or motivation is difficult in sports. It can be hard to define, but it definitely exists.
When Alabama lost to Ohio State in the playoff semifinals, there was no talk of Alabama’s lack of focus or motivation at the time. It was more about Ohio State playing well and winning. Alabama lost because Buckeyes QB Cardale Jones played out of his mind, because Alabama QB Blake Sims threw three interceptions – one of which went back for a touchdown – and because their previously impregnable run defense couldn’t contain Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott.
Even with all that, they still had chances to win in the fourth quarter, and ultimately fell because they blew two opportunities late.
Is that focus or just bad luck?
That narrative of being unprepared has persisted over time among Alabama players and coaches, however. Alabama safety Eddie Jackson said as much in the run-up to this year’s playoff semifinal game against Michigan State.
“When we was in New Orleans, guys was going out all the time. Now, guys rarely go out. Everybody is just like with each other, like everybody was just in the game room last night chilling, hanging out. So it’s really been different. Guys [are] more focused, really buying in, watching film, things that we didn’t really do last year preparing for Ohio State while we was on the road.”
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, in a rare public appearance, attributed Jones’ performance against Alabama’s defense (in part) to a lack of “respect” from Tide defenders.
“(Players) said they did not respect the quarterback, and our job as the coaches was to make them respect the quarterback.Well, they heard from the media, they heard from ESPN, they heard from everybody that [Jones] was a third-string quarterback. How can a third-string quarterback beat Alabama? We didn’t promote him enough and they didn’t value his talents enough.”
Even head coach Nick Saban – after his very focused team thoroughly whipped an overmatched Michigan State squad 38-0 in Dallas, earning a berth in the national championship game vs. Clemson – said the difference was as much intangible as anything on the field.
“I think last year when we came to this game, we were just happy to participate in the game. I think this year we wanted to sort of take the game and really thought our guys had a vision of what they wanted and everybody paid the price for what they had to do in preparation.”
All of that is probably true – none of us attend Alabama practices, so there’s no real way to gauge the team’s focus, outside of what they say.
It’s also true, however, that Michigan State’s style of play perfectly matches up with what Alabama likes to do defensively. Spartans QB Connor Cook isn’t mobile, and none of the Spartans’ backs would ever be mistaken for Elliott. That the Spartans were hardly a dominating force in Big Ten play – they wouldn’t have even been there if Michigan’s punter could catch a snap – and that Alabama is, by all accounts, a superior defensive football team to what it was in 2015.
All those very concrete facts are true as well, and are probably just as much worthy of credit as any intangible like focus or motivation.
In the postgame interviews last night, as Alabama players took turns talking and Nick Saban danced with the team to C-Murder, it was worth wondering whether the Tide can maintain this “focus” for another 10 days in preparation for No. 1 Clemson.
The Tigers, after all, will present many of the same problems on the field that Ohio State did a year ago. And the same problems that Ole Miss presented in September in Alabama’s only loss this season.
If this week was any indication, there’s little to worry about.
The focus, it sure seems to be there.
Will Heath is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football.
