Hello and Roll Tide!

Alabama defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 34-24 on Friday night to advance to the CFP Quarterfinals. They will travel to Pasadena, CA to take on Indiana in the Rose Bowl on January 1st. Starting the game down 17-0, Alabama made a historic comeback. With this win, Kalen DeBoer is the first head coach to win a CFP game at two different schools. As well, Alabama was the first team to win a true road CFP game played on campus. Below are Injury updates, depth notes, an Oklahoma review, and storylines revisited. Let’s go!

Injury Updates:

  • Tim Keenan and Red Morgan both exited the game on Friday with minor injuries. DeBoer said they could have returned if needed
  • LT Overton was OUT for the second consecutive game but is expected to be available in the Rose Bowl
  • Josh Cuevas returned, taking 28 of 55 possible snaps
  • Jam Miller was limited against Oklahoma, taking only 18 snaps

Depth Notes:

  • Three offensive linemen took all 55 snaps: Kadyn Proctor, Parker Brailsford, and Wilkin Formby
  • Germie Bernard was on the field for 53 of 55 possible snaps
  • Four different tight ends recorded snaps: Josh Cuevas (28), Kaleb Edwards (18), Danny Lewis (14), and Jay Lindsay (8)
  • Domani Jackson had more snaps (46) than Dijon Lee (39)
  • With LT Overton out, Keon Keeley took the most snaps at BANDIT with 35
  • Four different defenders played at WOLF: Yhonzae Pierre (45), Qua Russaw (24), Noah Carter (12), and Justin Hill (11)
  • Freshman Ivan Taylor recorded 2 tackles on just 2 snaps

CFP First Round Recap: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24

Offense: Alabama’s offense started the game with three consecutive 3-and-outs. It looked like an extension of the SEC Championship game. The offensive line was unable to create any running lanes and Ty was under constant pressure. Alabama found themselves quickly in a 17-0 hole. This all changed in the 2nd quarter when Alabama completed a 9 play, 75-yard drive to cut the lead to 17-7. Ty Simpson really stepped up this drive, creating multiple explosive plays: (9:50 2nd) Ty throws a corner route to Lotzier Brooks who makes a great catch for 29-yards; (9:01 2nd) Ty finds Cuevas on a seam route for a 23-yard gain. Then on 4th & 2, Ty found Lotzier Brooks at the 7-yard line who made 4 defenders miss as he dove into the end zone. After this score, Special Teams and Defense stepped up and Alabama found themselves tied 17-17 at the half. Ty Simpson and the air attack led the way in the first half, but they had no success on the ground, netting -3 rush yards. Alabama took the lead early in the 3rd behind two explosive plays. Daniel Hill got some blockers and rushed for a 30-yard gain, setting up the Tide at the 30-yard line. Two plays later, Ty found time in the pocket and delivered a strike to the end zone where Lotzier Brooks showed impressive body control, twisting and securing the 30-yard touchdown. Alabama’s next touchdown drive was highlighted by Germie Bernard’s 24-yard catch. Ty threw up a 50/50 ball and Germie reached over the defender, used the defender’s helmet, and secured the catch. He showed strong hands as the defender tried to rip the ball out on the way down to the ground. Shortly after, the Tide setup in a bunch set to the right side and Daniel Hill followed the blockers, bouncing off multiple defenders for a 6-yard touchdown run. Alabama’s offense starting slowly put them into a difficult position that other teams may not have been able to recover from. But thanks to the Defense and Special Teams, Alabama hung around long enough for their offense to catch fire. While they escaped Norman with a win, Alabama cannot afford to start slow against increasingly better competition in this tournament.

Defense: Alabama’s defense gave up two 1st downs on the opening drive before forcing a punt. With no help from the offense, they found themselves on the field again with poor field position. The next 3 drives resulted in Oklahoma points: Touchdown starting from their own 41 yardline; Field goal starting at the Alabama 46; Touchdown starting at the Oklahoma 37. The defense was stuck on the field with no help from the Offense or Special teams. Then suddenly all 3 phases worked together. The defense forced a 3-and-out resulting in a blocked punt. The next Oklahoma possession ended with Zabien Brown’s 50-yard interception for a touchdown. There were many stars on the defensive side of the ball. Yhonzae Pierre led the team with 4 pressures and 2 sacks. Keon Keeley and Noah Carter also recorded 2 pressures and 1 sack each. Keon Keeley flashed his 5-star potential, delivering his most impactful performance for Alabama yet. Alabama was able to get pressure on John Mateer rushing only 4. Kane Wommack rotated defensive linemen all game, keeping their legs fresh. Later in the game, blitz packages worked really well. Bray Hubbard created two pressures on safety blitzes and Keon Sabb also got a hit on John Mateer on a blitz. Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson led the team in tackles with 10 and 9 respectively. JJ looked great, recording 1 sack and 2 tackles for a loss. Early in the second, he made a perfect form-tackle on Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson. He lifted him and drove him backwards into the ground. In the secondary, Red Morgan showed great instincts playing Husky. Outside of allowing a touchdown to Sategna in the 2nd, Red was an effective blitzer and flew to the line of scrimmage on run and screen plays. This defense has been playing at a very high level to end the season.

Special Teams: Alabama’s Special Teams was shaky on Friday night, creating both advantages and disadvantages for the other two phases. Let’s start with the good: Conor Talty made both of his field goal attempts from 35 and 40 yards out. Since being booed against Eastern Illinois, Talty has made 4 consecutive kicks and 8 PATs. His newfound confidence couldn’t have come at a better time. Another Special Teams highlight came in the 2nd quarter when Tim Keenan blocked a punt, setting up Alabama at the Oklahoma 30-yard line. The punter did inexplicably drop the football, but Tim’s effort did not allow the punter to recover, completely stuffing him. Alabama’s punt return unit was effective as well: Cole Adams returned 3 punts for 23 yards and Dijon Lee caught a punt off a bounce, setting up the Tide with great field position. Now for the bad: Blake Doud once again cemented himself as the worst punter in the SEC. On seven attempts, Doud averaged just 38.6 yards per punt. Doud had two punts that traveled only 31 and 32 yards. He did get a great bounce on a 40-yard punt early in the 4th, pinning Oklahoma at the 7-yard line. Otherwise, he was significantly below average. Alabama will need to hit the portal this winter to replace Doud at punter. Alabama attempted one kickoff return in which Lotzier Brooks only reached the 13-yard line. They decided to call a fair catch on all others the remainder of the game.

CFP First Round Storylines Revisited:

Redemption in Norman – Alabama avenged their recent losses to Oklahoma when it mattered the most. This is the Tide’s 10th win in the College Football Playoffs, while Oklahoma’s all-time record falls to 0-5.

Shine in the Spot Lights – Alabama did struggle with drops on Friday night, a few of which may have been due to the lighting. Ryan Williams dropped a ball in the 3rd quarter, simply not getting his hands in the correct position. Similarly, with 7:59 left in the 3rd, Ty found Germie wide open downfield, but Germie didn’t even attempt to catch it. It looked like he was looking up and unable to find the football. While the lights did impact a few plays, it didn’t change the outcome of the game.

Throw the kitchen sink at ‘em – As expected, Alabama struggled to run the football for most of this game. Once again, Oklahoma setup on defense to take away mid-range throws. They challenged Alabama to beat them with the deep ball, and that’s exactly what the Tide did. Ty Simpson was a perfect 4 for 4 on passes 20+ yards downfield. When the line allowed him time in the pocket, Ty took advantage of 1-on-1 matchups. Grubb and DeBoer did not do anything too tricky but dialed up shot plays at opportune times.

Help the Defense – To start the game, it looked like Special Teams and the Offense were going to leave the defense out to dry. Three consecutive 3-and-outs combined with poor punting created disadvantages for the defense. After falling into a 17-0 deficit, the Offense and Special Teams finally came to life. Zabien Brown’s pick-6 completely changed momentum in this game. Alabama’s defense played great in this game and got the help it needed to defeat a gritty Oklahoma team in Norman.

What did you notice from the game? What are your concerns heading into the Rose Bowl match? If you know of anyone interested in joining the newsletter, send their info my way!

Roll Tide -Jake