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College Football

Column: Mentor Saban vs. protege McElwain chess match fizzles in SEC title game

Chris Wright

By Chris Wright

Published:

Mistakes, blunders and questionable calls.

The announcers in the SEC Championship Game? Sure, them too. But the anticipated matching of wits between mentor Nick Saban and protege Jim McElwain fell as flat as a six-week-old opened bottle of Dr. Pepper.

Play-calling was so conservative you wondered whether Rush Limbaugh hijacked Lane Kiffin’s headset. Or was it Doug Nussmeier’s?

Alabama ran it a season-high 57 times for 231 yards.

Alabama opened with a bit of trickery, as Kenyan Drake swept across the formation, catching a short shovel pass from Jake Coker for a 9-yard gain on Alabama’s first play from scrimmage.

It was a tease, not a tell.

After that, creativity took a backseat to caution until late in the second quarter, when Kiffin dialed up a deep ball to Calvin Ridley, a 55-yard play that set up Alabama’s lone touchdown of the first half — the only offensive touchdown of the opening half.

How unimaginative was the play-calling?

Just twice in the opening half did Alabama call consecutive pass plays.

Florida also had just two such series, though one sequence included Treon Harris being sacked twice.

https://twitter.com/ESPNChing/status/673286007815475200

Florida’s conservative approach was particularly curious, given its inability to establish a running game against Florida State last week and Alabama’s noted ability to stuff anything that moves.

Worth noting, McElwain, who was Saban’s offensive coordinator for four seasons, had five plays all game that generated more than 8 yards: Four were completions, including Harris’ 46-yard fourth-quarter TD pass to C.J. Worton.

Before the game, former Heisman winner Tim Tebow said he expected McElwain to take chances, to implement the running backs into the passing game. Tebow said he expected to see screens and wheel routes to Kelvin Taylor.

There weren’t any.

Florida opened the second half a bit more aggressively, borrowing a page from the Ole Miss and Auburn playbook when it Harris right on a designed rollout throw.

Auburn and Ole Miss turned those plays into long touchdown catch and runs.

Harris overthrew a wide open DeAndre Goolsby, who was in the flat, with room to run. The ball fell harmlessly to the turf.

Alabama at least turned to the second page of its playbook in the second half. Ridley took a short shovel pass, faked a reverse handoff, and turned the corner. Only a diving arm tackle prevented a big gain on Alabama’s most creative call of the night.

Four plays later, on third-and-4, Coker moved to his right, stepped up and threw a “34-66” ball, which ArDarius Stewart caught between two Florida defenders for a touchdown and insurmountable 22-7 lead.

https://twitter.com/SEC/status/673289287035707392

Florida went three-and-out on its next series.

Harris was sacked, he overthrew DeMarcus Robinson and, perhaps to please Tebow, attempted a screen to Kelvin Taylor that made you understand why they haven’t attempted that pass often this season.

McElwain had no answers Saturday.

Florida hasn’t had many since Will Grier was suspended in October. They didn’t score an offensive touchdown last week. They didn’t score one Saturday until Worton outjumped three defenders to catch a 46-yard TD pass from Harris late in the fourth quarter.

Too little, way too late.

In the end, there’s only so much a play-caller can do when the other guy’s Jimmys and Joes are better than your Xs and Os.

Chris Wright
Chris Wright

Managing Editor

A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.

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