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OK, do we now go to a dual offense system for the playoffs?

TIDE-HSV

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B1GTide said:
Very true, but Jalen also isn't as good running left. No idea why.
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Does he ever even run to the left. I'm trying to remember if I've seen it at all. I suppose it's muscle memory and old, old habit going all the way back to HS and beyond. I guess it's just what he's comfortable with. You'd think Enos had been working with him to solidify a left rollout. Maybe he has and it just hasn't shown up yet? Come to think of it, Jalen's overrule of his dad's decision (which obviously wouldn't have happened in Tua's household) to transfer was for the best because there's no where else he would have found a coach like Enos...
 
CoachJeff

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It depends on how healthy Tua is. If he’s close to 100% I think you may run some plays with Hurts in just to give the D something to think of, but it would be Tua’s team.
 
KrAzY3

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westide said:
Even if Tua is ready to play against OK he might not be 100%. OK has had trouble with running QBs. I am watching the OK/Army game and on Army's 1st drive they ate up over nine minutes. They were able to pick up good yardage on the option plays attacking the perimeter. I think with the unkown of Tua's recovery coupled with Jalen's improved passing and his running ability we will see more of Jalen against the Okies.
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I have the box score in front of me. Army was only 3/8 passing for 40 yards, but they ran for 339 yards and 3 TDs. The key there was as you alluded to.

Army absolutely dominated time of possession, like in disgusting fashion. It was 44:41 to 15:19.

The problem of course is that Oklahoma was so high powered, that they still made the most of those 15 minutes, but it's a template for how Alabama and Jalen Hurts (in what ever capacity) can attack Oklahoma. It would be a little like what Miss. State did to Alabama last year. Miss. State had the ball for 38 minutes, Fitzgerald only threw for 158 yards but Alabama simply could not get them off the field.

Even Ehlinger who is nowhere near the runner Hurts is (I think at this point in their careers Hurts is better overall as well), ran for 5 TDs against Oklahoma in two games. So, I think some option style Hurts stuff probably has a place in the playbook, especially considering the doubt about Tua's health.

The flip side of that, is if Tua is 100% healthy, can Alabama risk taking their foot off the gas, even a little bit? Even with Tua though, Alabama really needs to emphasize time of possession. Don't try to force a touchdown on every play, this is Oklahoma, there will be open men, 10 yard plays work to. Don't try gamble on deep passes and set up third and longs too often (Alabama's offense is more likely to beat itself than be beat by Oklahoma). This is one of those games where scoring quick can backfire anyway.
 
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KrAzY3 said:
I have the box score in front of me. Army was only 3/8 passing for 40 yards, but they ran for 339 yards and 3 TDs. The key there was as you alluded to.

Army absolutely dominated time of possession, like in disgusting fashion. It was 44:41 to 15:19.

The problem of course is that Oklahoma was so high powered, that they still made the most of those 15 minutes, but it's a template for how Alabama and Jalen Hurts (in what ever capacity) can attack Oklahoma. It would be a little like what Miss. State did to Alabama last year. Miss. State had the ball for 38 minutes, Fitzgerald only threw for 158 yards but Alabama simply could not get them off the field.

Even Ehlinger who is nowhere near the runner Hurts is (I think at this point in their careers Hurts is better overall as well), ran for 5 TDs against Oklahoma in two games. So, I think some option style Hurts stuff probably has a place in the playbook, especially considering the doubt about Tua's health.

The flip side of that, is if Tua is 100% healthy, can Alabama risk taking their foot off the gas, even a little bit? Even with Tua though, Alabama really needs to emphasize time of possession. Don't try to force a touchdown on every play, this is Oklahoma, there will be open men, 10 yard plays work to. Don't try gamble on deep passes and set up third and longs too often (Alabama's offense is more likely to beat itself than be beat by Oklahoma). This is one of those games where scoring quick can backfire anyway.
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Need to take a section from the dink and dunk offense and have sustained drives.


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B1GTide

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KrAzY3 said:
This is one of those games where scoring quick can backfire anyway.
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I don't think so. Let's think about this from a statistical point of view. Let's say that Alabama scores on 90% of its possessions while OU scores on 75% of its possessions. If each team has 10 drives, Alabama wins 63 to 45. But if each team only had 7 possessions, the game is much closer and Alabama only wins 42 to 35.

I much prefer that Alabama play its game and score as much as you can, as quickly as you can. The more possessions each team has, the larger the margin of victory for Alabama. And that is important because it means that Alabama can have a turnover or two and still win that kind of game.

OU's offense is going to score. It is going to happen. Alabama is going to score more, if you play your game. But if you try to do what Army did, you give away your advantage. You have to score on 90% of your possessions, stop them on 25% of their possessions. To score on 90% of your possessions, you have to play a clean game. Few penalties and no turnovers. Because when you play a dink/dunk game plan, penalties are drive killers, and turnovers give the other team an extra possession.

Heck, you might not even be able to play dink/dunk football with this team. You have no idea. You have not tried it. You could waste 2-3 possessions working it out. That would be a disaster.
 
Saban4Ever

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B1GTide said:
I don't think so. Let's think about this from a statistical point of view. Let's say that Alabama scores on 90% of its possessions while OU scores on 75% of its possessions. If each team has 10 drives, Alabama wins 63 to 45. But if each team only had 7 possessions, the game is much closer and Alabama only wins 42 to 35.

I much prefer that Alabama play its game and score as much as you can, as quickly as you can. The more possessions each team has, the larger the margin of victory for Alabama. And that is important because it means that Alabama can have a turnover or two and still win that kind of game.

OU's offense is going to score. It is going to happen. Alabama is going to score more, if you play your game. But if you try to do what Army did, you give away your advantage. You have to score on 90% of your possessions, stop them on 25% of their possessions. To score on 90% of your possessions, you have to play a clean game. Few penalties and no turnovers. Because when you play a dink/dunk game plan, penalties are drive killers, and turnovers give the other team an extra possession.

Heck, you might not even be able to play dink/dunk football with this team. You have no idea. You have not tried it. You could waste 2-3 possessions working it out. That would be a disaster.
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Bama needs to play its game, but run the ball more also. I don't think Tua will run much due to his ankle, but Jalen could.

Hopefully, our defense can get at least 2 turnovers, including a NOT. Or Waddle on special teams can run one back for a TD. Just like in the WV/OU game, turnovers could play a big role in this game.

One concern though: Who will be prepping/calling the plays? Locksley while he is distracted with interviews and possibly recruiting, or Enos ? I know Enos has been a good OC at other schools, but has he actually called plays at BAMA with Locksley or has Locksley done it all? I just don't want it to be a situation like it was with Kiffin when Bama prepped for Washington.

Our coaches are new to this BAMA team and need to concentrate for the playoffs, not be distracted. Seems it is this way each year though. Our defensive coaches really need to be on the ball with their plan to stop OU. I love Mac and Dylan, but they seem to be the weak link on defense (is it communication or are the calls coming in too late?). OU will exploit that.

Bright spot though... Saban has almost a month to prepare and he is the master at that! RTR
 
Ledsteplin

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Even though Jalen looked unstoppable in the 4th quarter, a healthy Tua is still the guy. Although UGA prepared well for Tua, I think it may have gone differently had he not gotten banged up early. And 3 great receivers dropped passes that were right in their hands. Definitely an anomaly that hopefully doesn't happen again. But if needed, I have confidence Jalen could go in and lead the team to victory. This is not last year's Jalen running Daboll's offense. I'm more concerned about the OL giving the QB time to throw, regardless of which one is in. I do believe our talented receivers have the Sooner defenders out matched. Tua should be healthy, focused, and ready to play.
 
mlh

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I would have a package for Jalen and I'd give him some meaningful snaps even if Tua is healthy. What I wouldn't do is put both QBs on the field at the same time. That simply takes a 5* receiver off the field and replaces him with a QB who isn't a threat unless you do some kind of double pass. I just don't like running trick plays with all the talent we have on offense.

So, with Tua at QB I'd run our regular offense. With Jalen at QB I'd go a little more run-heavy, including some QB keepers to keep the defense honest. They're both very good QBs and they bring different talents to the offense. Unless one or the other is really on fire, why not use both?
 
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Ledsteplin said:
Even though Jalen looked unstoppable in the 4th quarter, a healthy Tua is still the guy. Although UGA prepared well for Tua, I think it may have gone differently had he not gotten banged up early. And 3 great receivers dropped passes that were right in their hands. Definitely an anomaly that hopefully doesn't happen again. But if needed, I have confidence Jalen could go in and lead the team to victory. This is not last year's Jalen running Daboll's offense. I'm more concerned about the OL giving the QB time to throw, regardless of which one is in. I do believe our talented receivers have the Sooner defenders out matched. Tua should be healthy, focused, and ready to play.
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I think Saturday was the result of several things. First, Georgia was extremely talented, motivated and prepared for that game. They were out to get Tua after last year and they hit him every chance they could. Second, I think Alabama was mentally not there the first two and a half quarters. The season wore on our players and we looked shaky all day. Tua threw two interceptions and normally sure handed receivers like Irv Smith and Jeudy dropped passes they normally catch. Alabama needs to rest, get healthy and refocused for the playoff.
 
KrAzY3

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B1GTide said:
But if you try to do what Army did, you give away your advantage. You have to score on 90% of your possessions, stop them on 25% of their possessions. To score on 90% of your possessions, you have to play a clean game. Few penalties and no turnovers. Because when you play a dink/dunk game plan, penalties are drive killers, and turnovers give the other team an extra possession.

Heck, you might not even be able to play dink/dunk football with this team. You have no idea. You have not tried it. You could waste 2-3 possessions working it out. That would be a disaster.
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Well, I do understand your point. Alabama first and foremost has to try to score, I wouldn't advocate the philosophy that Nick Saban employs sometimes (ending with a kick is a good result). But, they run a very high risk if they get into a shootout. Once Alabama's defense is worn out, that's that. There is no coming back from that, and that's how Alabama lost to Clemson in the championship game.

The last time Alabama lost a defensive battle was 2011 to LSU. Every other game was basically Alabama's defense not being able to stop the opponent and a lot of the time it involved the defense not being able to keep up with the pace. Granted, a healthy Tua could mean that Oklahoma can't stop Alabama, but what is Alabama doing to buttress the defense and give them a shot against Oklahoma? Quick 3 and outs, or even quick scores will put the defense right back out there and at the pace that Oklahoma plays, that could quickly become a problem.

I think Army is the best running team Oklahoma has played, but I'd never advocate just trying to run their offense. Army averages like 4.66 a rush though. Alabama averages 5.34. So, here's how I see it., Alabama has to protect Tua. Each time he drops back, that's a risk. It's a risk for an in completion, a risk for a turnover, and a risk that he gets hurt. Each time Alabama runs the ball, they're punching Oklahoma in the mouth potentially, Oklahoma gives up over 4 per run, Alabama should be able to control the game and protect Tua by running the ball. It doesn't mean they shouldn't throw it, but if they become over-reliant on the pass, well that's been the only weakness Alabama has shown all year. The only reason Alabama even got in trouble against Georgia was they had a dropped pass that resulted in a three out and that gave Georgia the ball right back in prime field position and deprived Alabama's defense a chance to rest. They can't afford that against Oklahoma, if Alabama's defense can't rest, Oklahoma is going to start scoring.
 
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Ledsteplin

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KrAzY3 said:
Well, I do understand your point. Alabama first and foremost has to try to score, I wouldn't advocate the philosophy that Nick Saban employs sometimes (ending with a kick is a good result). But, they run a very high risk if they get into a shootout. Once Alabama's defense is worn out, that's that. There is no coming back from that, and that's how Alabama lost to Clemson in the championship game.

The last time Alabama lost a defensive battle was 2011 to LSU. Every other game was basically Alabama's defense not being able to stop the opponent and a lot of the time it involved the defense not being able to keep up with the pace. Granted, a healthy Tua could mean that Oklahoma can't stop Alabama, but what is Alabama doing to buttress the defense and give them a shot against Oklahoma? Quick 3 and outs, or even quick scores will put the defense right back out there and at the pace that Oklahoma plays, that could quickly become a problem.

I think Army is the best running team Oklahoma has played, but I'd never advocate just trying to run their offense. Army averages like 4.66 a rush though. Alabama averages 5.34. So, here's how I see it., Alabama has to protect Tua. Each time he drops back, that's a risk. It's a risk for an in completion, a risk for a turnover, and a risk that he gets hurt. Each time Alabama runs the ball, they're punching Oklahoma in the mouth potentially, Oklahoma gives up over 4 per run, Alabama should be able to control the game and protect Tua by running the ball. It doesn't mean they shouldn't throw it, but if they become over-reliant on the pass, well that's been the only weakness Alabama has shown all year. The only reason Alabama even got in trouble against Georgia was they had a dropped pass that resulted in a three out and that gave Georgia the ball right back in prime field position and deprived Alabama's defense a chance to rest. They can't afford that against Oklahoma, if Alabama's defense can't rest, Oklahoma is going to start scoring.
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Might work, if we don't put ourselves in a lot of 3rd and long situations. That 5.34 average was mostly against lesser defenses. If the OL gives Tua time, we should do well passing.
 
CHATTBRIT

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I honestly think it will be Jalen's team for the playoffs. He had the same Tightrope procedure that Tua will have. Jalen had his surgery on 10/23/18 and he says he is only feeling fully recovered now. That does not give Tua the six weeks' recovery time. Some articles state 2 weeks recovery time but that's way too optomistic and at least 4 weeks is reasonable. Hopefully, we have both Tua and Jalen available. I fully expect that neither QB will be under the pressure that GA brought with the oK front 7.

One way to help speed up recovery following surgery is to use a hyperbaric chamber. Tua could spend time in there while studying for his finals. It could be a win-win for him.
 
bamacon

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CHATTBRIT said:
I honestly think it will be Jalen's team for the playoffs. He had the same Tightrope procedure that Tua will have. Jalen had his surgery on 10/23/18 and he says he is only feeling fully recovered now. That does not give Tua the six weeks' recovery time. Some articles state 2 weeks recovery time but that's way too optomistic and at least 4 weeks is reasonable. Hopefully, we have both Tua and Jalen available. I fully expect that neither QB will be under the pressure that GA brought with the oK front 7.

One way to help speed up recovery following surgery is to use a hyperbaric chamber. Tua could spend time in there while studying for his finals. It could be a win-win for him.
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I agree. It’s going to be really close. I really think Jalen might give OU even more problems because of the threat to run. The OU defense is so undisciplined he’d be a matchup nightmare. If Tua isn’t 100% Jalen will get the nod IMO.


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