Question: Your thoughts about improving our running attack

Yep. I remember one time where Tua pulled it and Damien has nothing but grass in front of him.

UAH said:

I agree. The running plays from the spread have been late developing and the RPO to Damien where Tua pulled the ball was slow and probably a wrong decision on Tua's part. Damien has proven that if he gets the ball on a straight hand off he can see cut back lanes and make something happen. There are some things to work on in the run game no doubt.

Click to expand...

RTR91 said:

Continue to torch defenses through the air until they wise up and play the pass more than the run.

Click to expand...

This was my other thought...eventually teams will have to drop back into coverage and the running lanes will be there.

I also like the suggestions above of getting to the edge more. I'd love to see Tua under center and us doing some toss sweeps. How cool would that be against Tennessee? Bring back the 80's!

I was concerned, but TAMU did load the box. I am not sure why they thought they could win stopping our running attack. I was not happy with our line play though. It also had something to do with the us having our TE's out in patterns so we had fewer blockers than they had players in the box a lot of the time. We didn't seal the edge very well.

Change nothing.

Averaging 53.75 points per game.

Not an offense left on our schedule that can match ours. I think Bama fans just have to get use to the fact that our “bread and butter” is no longer the run game, not with Tua taking the snaps.

Don’t worry about long sustained drives to kill the clock, just keep scoring as fast as we can. Before any team knows it, they’re down by 3 TDs and it’s over.


EDIT: Wait, there is something I would change. Stop wasting Tua’s talent by trying to force the run so much. There were a few drives in the first half were we came out and stubbornly were trying to run the ball or just threw screens. If we had continued our air attack, we could have had 38 or 45 by halftime. The third quarter was especially frustrating to watch because of the run plays. We should have scored 60 on them but we decided to run the ball instead of score.

Limited RPO’s, stick to our guns and don’t try to disguise a run. Pretty exhausting for our O-line.

JustNeedMe81 said:

We have to keep that in mind that we really have cracked the playbook open at this point in the season and we may not have to until the playoff.

Click to expand...

Exactly this. ↑ As long as we get by on basic run plays, the run playbook won't be opened, unless absolutely necessary.

Would we like to run the ball better than we did? Yes.

Should we try to improve upon that? Yes.

Will it really even matter? Probably not

RollTide_HTTR said:

Would we like to run the ball better than we did? Yes.

Should we try to improve upon that? Yes.

Will it really even matter? Probably not

Click to expand...

One of the most enjoyable games that I've ever seen Alabama play was the 2012 SEC Championship against UGA. Bama ran for 350 yards against them and UGA couldn't do anything about it. What would be so amazing to see is if this offensive line can improve and find ways to play that way to go along with Tua's ability as a passer. I firmly believe that this line has as much ability as the 2012 unit. They just need game reps together. If we can get to the point to where we can impose our will running like in 2012 to go along with the deadly passing game, then this offense could rival 2005 USC. Alabama's linemen and backs are NFL level players. Also imagine that the defense and special teams will continue to improve, too, barring injury. To me, injuries are the only thing holding this team back from being one of the best ever. Just my two cents worth.

crimsonaudio said:

Yep - that's what DCs are up against now - they have to pick which aspect of the O they want to try to stifle. A&M's secondary isn't very good but their DL is legit, so they hoped they could make Bama one-dimensional enough to have a chance. Obviously that didn't work out well.

Every DC is going to have to solve that puzzle, but I don't see anyone who can do it. Even with a sick D top to bottom, Tua is gonna get his yards and points, but if you drop eight into coverage Bama will rush for 300+.

I just don't see a college D that can stop Bama's O. Right now the only way Bama's O gets stopped is by injury or lack of preparation.

Click to expand...

I watched the 1st 3 quarters again...TA&M not only loaded the box, they had inside blitzes on just about every running play. They were selling out to stop the inside run...Pick your poison is right.

I will say that when we adjusted our running and went outside we could not be stopped. We will be fine...just one more defensive scheme that did not work.

DzynKingRTR said:

D. Harris' one long run was also to the outside.

Click to expand...

And Wills looked like a monster on that run. He absolutely mauled his man.

Intl.Aperture said:

I agree with this but I also agree with what JustNeedMe81 said in reply to it.

I think it's a mix. Our running strength has always been deep I zone runs. We ruin people's cupcakes runnin that scheme. The RPO gives people utter fits BUT I don't see the need to completely abandon our bread and butter run game. Give the RBs a little space to examine the line and build some speed as they approach. With the RPO the RB's choices, and time to make those choices are minimized compared to our traditional run game. There were a few plays that, had it been run out of the I, the RB would have had enough time to read the line and react by bouncing it outside. AS it is, it takes so long for the play to develop that by the time they have the ball in their hands their time and distance for making decisions is narrowed. So it's a little boom or bust.

I'm not saying scrap the RPO, I'm just saying I'd like to see a little more of the traditional pro-style offense.

Click to expand...

Damien's run came in the pistol, I'd like to see it more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think our run game is solid—but 5 guys cannot block 7-8 opposing players. What we do on O should be predicated on what the defense gives us. When they load the box on practically every down like AM did on Saturday, then we just need to keep passing.

I don't think Jimbo expected to win, but he had a good plan, a version of what almost worked against Clemson.

Stack the box against the run. Against the pass, hope that the law of averages stops a few drives. And if Alabama scores, they'll score quickly. This puts the ball and the clock back with aTm. This was a deliberate plan to slow down the game, own the TOP, keep Alabama's defense on the field, and try to keep the game close.

In fact, they scored FGs against Tua's TDs, and Tua suspends the law of averages with his crazy completion %. But this template might work better for a team like Georgia.

Ledsteplin said:

Exactly this. ↑ As long as we get by on basic run plays, the run playbook won't be opened, unless absolutely necessary.

Click to expand...

I am interested to see what CNS is holding in his back pocket, and will only pull it out if necessary. I too was frustrated watching Bama run up the middle against a loaded box. There was one set of downs near our own goal line that Tua was visibly frustrated and it was obvious he was frustrated with the play calls. I'm not sure what the thinking was in doing that, but if that's the only gripe I have with this offense we are in good shape.

The following is a small segment from a game preview from the RollBamaRoll site. Here is the link if you are interested in reading further: https://www.rollbamaroll.com/2018/9/21/17885744/hope-for-the-best-texas-a-m-edition-alabama-crimson-tide-aggies-bama-tua-tagovailoa-nick-saban

...Elko runs a 4-2-5 defense as did two of the Tide’s first three opponents. His iteration is different, however, in that instead of keeping five defensive backs in the secondary in a constant nickel look, he employs a safety/ linebacker hybrid that plays in the box with more coverage responsibility than your average linebacker. He uses his safeties as wrecking balls, not in a physical manner, but as run fitters who fill gaps up front and confuse opposing quarterbacks with movement just before the snap. Like his offensive minded head coach, Elko likes to create chaos for opponents by undercutting RPO calls with a stacked box late after sideline check-ins and running a ton of coverage looks out of a standard 2-high shell in the defensive backfield...

Click to expand...

As others have noted they used run blitzes. While this made them vulnerable in the shallow middle of the field for short passes and for runs on the edge it made it almost impossible to run between the tackles. Frankly, I don't see how you can run inside vs that kind of defensive approach. Just take what the D gives. Maybe they are reserving the outside runs for later since they didn't need them Sat. It was like taking candy from a baby the couple of times they used it, e.g., DH and Ruggs. I don't know enough about what really happened or how sincere CNS is in his critique of the OL (no doubt the OL can always improve and got beat at times but Bama's inability to run between the tackles was more than that). I usually take him at face value - I don't know this time.

In general, almost any team can sellout to successfully stop another team's run between the tackles but it leaves them extremely vulnerable elsewhere. And Bama has the tools to take advantage of any weakness created by such an approach. Whatever, it seems that the issue is likely more than the OL not being able to open running lanes. IMO, if teams played straight, Bama could have much success running inside and out.

Obvious change... Our OL needs to make holes for our Running Backs.
The OL needs to sustain and push guys out of the way if we are to have a Running Game.

TAMU played tough on our Running Game. Made it easier for Tua to pick em to pieces.
In the 2nd half we ran up the middle a lot. Didn't have a lot to show for it, other than burning time off the clock.
I believe teams have started taking chances in the 2nd half trying to get back in the game.
Sometimes they move the ball, other times they are doing a quick 3 and out, and we go back to pounding the ball if we can, if not, Tua can do his impersonation of Daryle Lamonica.
(The Mad Bomber) of yesteryear. (Yep, I'm old)

We aren't used to seeing this kind of passing attack here. I think we are a pass first team this season. What you see is what you get with our run game this season.

CrimsonNagus said:

Change nothing.

Averaging 53.75 points per game.

Not an offense left on our schedule that can match ours. I think Bama fans just have to get use to the fact that our “bread and butter” is no longer the run game, not with Tua taking the snaps.

Don’t worry about long sustained drives to kill the clock, just keep scoring as fast as we can. Before any team knows it, they’re down by 3 TDs and it’s over.


EDIT: Wait, there is something I would change. Stop wasting Tua’s talent by trying to force the run so much. There were a few drives in the first half were we came out and stubbornly were trying to run the ball or just threw screens. If we had continued our air attack, we could have had 38 or 45 by halftime. The third quarter was especially frustrating to watch because of the run plays. We should have scored 60 on them but we decided to run the ball instead of score.

Click to expand...

In other words take what the defense gives you....every time!!

deliveryman35 said:

I think our run game is solid—but 5 guys cannot block 7-8 opposing players. What we do on O should be predicated on what the defense gives us. When they load the box on practically every down like AM did on Saturday, then we just need to keep passing.

Click to expand...

This in spades IMO. It appears they sold out to stop the inside run and were pretty successful at it. The difference now is that we truly have the ability to make teams pay that decide to do that in the future.