Game Thread: aTm @ USC

[BigBama76]

I missed the game and had to watch the re-run. Based on the score and comments I was thinking they must be head and shoulders better than last year. However, after watching it's hard to tell how good TAMU really is because USCe played about as bad as a team can play, especially on defense.

 

[GrayTide]

What's with this aTm bashing? Complaining that the QB had no rushing TDs? He's not a rushing QB. I don't recall anyone complaining that AJ didn't have a rushing TD in a game that we easily won. The aTm defense has room to improve, but no doubt they are much better than last year. I think there is some fear in our fans.

You got that right.

 

[Con]

Have to admit, I love coming over here to read what you all think while watching A&M. Great football knowledge and fans here. Gig 'em & RTR! Hope to see both of our teams undefeated when we play.

Your boys played pretty good last night Wingman. They started the season off with a bang.

 

[twofbyc]

deleted

 

[crimsonaudio]

I missed the game and had to watch the re-run. Based on the score and comments I was thinking they must be head and shoulders better than last year.

I wouldn't say that - the offense looks to be about as potent, possibly a bit more so. Defensive front seven looks improved, though the secondary got torched pretty good. If this game had happened against Vandy, everyone would be in 'wait and see' mode, but since it was against a pre-season ranked SC team, people seem nervous. A&M didn't look like a #21 ranked team, but SC didn't look like a #9, either...

I'm not worried about A&M - they allowed 366 yards passing to a guy who isn't a fear-inspiring QB (granted, SC was playing behind all night) - until they show they have a solid D. They're going to put up points, but can they stop a good O?

 

[twofbyc]

This game was a good example of what Sumlin likes to do. A lot of people think TAMU is an option team like Oregon. They're not.

And what he he will do, week in and week out, without a JM. 500+ yds passing and 108 rushing. That percentage, IMO, will remain the same in every game they win. Look at what he did before he came to A&M.

 

[twofbyc]

I wouldn't say that - the offense looks to be about as potent, possibly a bit more so. Defensive front seven looks improved, though the secondary got torched pretty good. If this game had happened against Vandy, everyone would be in 'wait and see' mode, but since it was against a pre-season ranked SC team, people seem nervous. A&M didn't look like a #21 ranked team, but SC didn't look like a #9, either...

I'm not worried about A&M - they allowed 366 yards passing to a guy who isn't a fear-inspiring QB (granted, SC was playing behind all night) - until they show they have a solid D. They're going to put up points, but can they stop a good O?

IMO jury's still out on the first (SC had no running game, without Davis they ain't squat), and agree with the second. They can be had, but it will be by a team with a good pass rush and excellent secondary. SC had neither.

 

[TideMom2Boys]

What's with this aTm bashing? Complaining that the QB had no rushing TDs? He's not a rushing QB. I don't recall anyone complaining that AJ didn't have a rushing TD in a game that we easily won. The aTm defense has room to improve, but no doubt they are much better than last year. I think there is some fear in our fans.

No fear. They are a better team than I expected...but there are a lot of knee jerk reactions here....after just one game. We haven't even seen us play yet. We don't play them till October, enjoy us kicking off tomorrow and wait till October to worry about them.

 

[bamacpa]

It's just one game, but we have 2 previous years of Sumlin's offense to go by. their offense, with a multitude of big receivers, is not gonna be fun to play against.

aTm ran 99 plays tonight..

 

[Bamabuzzard]

From an offensive perspective aTm's offense is better. My god at the talent at WR last night and #21 at RB is going to be something else as well. But, one thing I noticed right off the bat that will benefit the Tide when we play them. Hill doesn't have the escape-ability (sp?) that Manziel had and that was very noticeable last night. A lot of the big "dagger to the heart" plays aTm had against us over the last two years were from JM being able to keep a play alive and escape in Houdini fashion. Hill doesn't have that type athleticism. When USCe got a rush on him it worked. I think Bama will have a better chance at slowing down aTm's offense with Hill under center than JM, even though in totality their offense is probably more talented.

From a defensive perspective. They appear to have improved on the DL but other than that they look like the same ole aTm defense. There were a lot of incomplete passes that were simply the USC's qb fault and had nothing to do with aTm playing good defense. So the jury is still out on the defense.

 

[RTR91]

While the offense line looked impressive, that will only take them so far.

 

[kayakerjess]

We better be ready to play fast on defense come Oct 18. One thing is for sure: the hurry up isn't going away any time soon, and A&M runs it about as well as anyone. Let's hope the reports of our defense improving conditioning and running against 2 separate scout teams in practice are effective, because it will be tough to stop that A&M team unless you can keep up the pace.

 

[TideEngineer08]

We will need our OL to control the game against A&M. I agree with Buzzard that A&M's offense is far more vulnerable to a good pass rush because Hill doesn't seem to be quite as mobile as Manziel. So, we'll need that aspect of our front 7 to come through.

A&M isn't going to be an easy out by any means.

As for South Carolina, I'm afraid Spurrier spent way too much time running his trap this summer. Steve... this is the exact reason coach Saban spends so much time in preparation instead of hamming it up on the golf course.

 

[RTR91]

 

[twofbyc]

We better be ready to play fast on defense come Oct 18. One thing is for sure: the hurry up isn't going away any time soon, and A&M runs it about as well as anyone. Let's hope the reports of our defense improving conditioning and running against 2 separate scout teams in practice are effective, because it will be tough to stop that A&M team unless you can keep up the pace.

I'm sure someone will look up who has had more than 99 offensive plays in a game, but that's a lot - I think Sumlin runs it better than anybody. Also, it's nice to know we have a solid two-deep defense.

 

[graydogg85]

As others have noted, what you saw last night is the offense Sumlin prefers to run. It's a direct off-shoot of the Leach/Mumme Air Raid, and the pass-to-run ratio you saw last night is consistent with that system. It was more balanced the last two years only because of Manziel's improvised scrambling.

 

[mittman]

From an offensive perspective aTm's offense is better. My god at the talent at WR last night and #21 at RB is going to be something else as well. But, one thing I noticed right off the bat that will benefit the Tide when we play them. Hill doesn't have the escape-ability (sp?) that Manziel had and that was very noticeable last night. A lot of the big "dagger to the heart" plays aTm had against us over the last two years were from JM being able to keep a play alive and escape in Houdini fashion. Hill doesn't have that type athleticism. When USCe got a rush on him it worked. I think Bama will have a better chance at slowing down aTm's offense with Hill under center than JM, even though in totality their offense is probably more talented.

From a defensive perspective. They appear to have improved on the DL but other than that they look like the same ole aTm defense. There were a lot of incomplete passes that were simply the USC's qb fault and had nothing to do with aTm playing good defense. So the jury is still out on the defense.

I agree.

One thing I would add on aTm's offensive line and backs: It seemed like USC blitzed a lot and they were picked up well. No defensive lineman seemed to ever get a push back into Hill's lap. (That will take them a LONG way ) Hill got the ball out of his hands quickly. I don't think he needed to show any ability to escape. The ball was gone before he needed to.

The three receivers are all going to be a handful.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I agree.

One thing I would add on aTm's offensive line and backs: It seemed like USC blitzed a lot and they were picked up well. No defensive lineman seemed to ever get a push back into Hill's lap. (That will take them a LONG way ) Hill got the ball out of his hands quickly. I don't think he needed to show any ability to escape. The ball was gone before he needed to.

The three receivers are all going to be a handful.

Though they didn't get through on a lot of blitzes the ones they did he had a problems getting away from them. If I remember correctly there were at least two where the blitz got there and he tried to escape but simply did have the athleticism to do it. He took major losses in yardage. But I agree, most of the time he got the ball out quick and the gamecock's coverage wasn't tight and most of the time aTm's receivers had decent cushions of space to catch the ball cleanly.

 

[BamaMoon]

As others have said, "It's just one game."

However, I think it's a case of A&M being better than we thought and USCe being very underwhelming.

KS's offensive approach is fun to watch and he gets receivers wide open in spaces for plenty of YAC.

I'll ask the question (and I know what some of you will say) but why in the world can't he get a DC like Kirby Smart and have a dominant defense?

If you put KS's offense with our defense and it would be a "wow" moment.

Don't say the two philosphies couldn't work together because I refuse to believe that.

 

[kayakerjess]

As others have said, "It's just one game."

However, I think it's a case of A&M being better than we thought and USCe being very underwhelming.

KS's offensive approach is fun to watch and he gets receivers wide open in spaces for plenty of YAC.

I'll ask the question (and I know what some of you will say) but why in the world can't he get a DC like Kirby Smart and have a dominant defense?

If you put KS's offense with our defense and it would be a "wow" moment.

Don't say the two philosphies couldn't work together because I refuse to believe that.

I have asked that question many times in the past (not recently though), and the standard response thus far has been that in order to have a dominant defense, you need to keep them fresh, and that translates to a ball-control offense, not a hurry up offense. I'm not saying that's my answer, but that's the answer I hear most often. Now, philospohies may be changing with more teams running HUNH these days, and maybe it's time to ask that question again.

While watching A&M last night, I did find myself wondering if the Bama approach to slow ball-control offense can compete long term with an offense like that. There was even part of me wondering if we will be moving to the tempo-based offense this year.