Bama Game Thread: Official PostGame Thread - Bama @ OU

[selmaborntidefan]

The biggest difference in that first quarter we played mostly four man front with zone behind it. Very little blitzing or stunts and no pressure on Mateer. We started mixing coverages, mixing front looks and confusing their OL and gave Mateer the “happy feet”.

Wommack seems to have a tendency early to play pretty vanilla early until he gets a feel for what the other team is doing.

That part was mostly okay - but the fear, I think, is our offense hasn't done much in the last six weeks, so it's not like we could feel comfortable falling behind like 2013 FSU.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Yes, but I think he'll figure that out. He's still a young coach.

CNS, at his age, had only won 1 NC - his first and only one at LSU.

The point is, many posters need to take a chill pill on CDK and realize he's a pretty good coach, right now, but hopefully will get better. Furthermore, we need to be thankful we have him.

But the constant "fire him" and/or "let Michigan have him" is getting beyond ridiculous.

I think we can realize both:
a) we have a problem with discipline
b) he's not a 'bad" coach, he's being compared to the greatest ever subconsciously

I think Cignetti's immediate success in the softer league is leaving a bad taste in Crimson mouths, too. A lot of that will go away if we can just beat Indiana, regardless of the final score.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Thank heavens we wised up and decided to take the fair catch on kickoffs instead of starting out at our own 12.

They were baiting us into attempting to return it. It worked once.

 

[81usaf92]

Hahahahahahahaha

View attachment 54818

Oklahoma is 5-3-1 vs Bama… but 1-3-1 vs bama in the post season

 

[81usaf92]

I think we can realize both:
a) we have a problem with discipline
b) he's not a 'bad" coach, he's being compared to the greatest ever subconsciously

I think Cignetti's immediate success in the softer league is leaving a bad taste in Crimson mouths, too. A lot of that will go away if we can just beat Indiana, regardless of the final score.

I think a lot of it is “CKD isn’t Nick Saban” that rubs many of his detractors the wrong way. Nothing he can potentially do until he wins a national championship will ever be enough to get them on their side.

If he beats Indiana it will be “well I always knew Indiana was overrated”

Bring up the fact that he just overcame a 17 point deficit in a crazy environment… it will be “well curry did it down 21, and you see my point that he is curry 2.0”

I think many who don’t want him are that way because he wasn’t who they wanted, he doesn’t prepare like Saban, and games are close. It has very little to do with Cignetti

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I think we can realize both:
a) we have a problem with discipline
b) he's not a 'bad" coach, he's being compared to the greatest ever subconsciously

I think Cignetti's immediate success in the softer league is leaving a bad taste in Crimson mouths, too. A lot of that will go away if we can just beat Indiana, regardless of the final score.

This! One of DeBoers weaknesses we saw in the SEC title game and in the OU game and thats showing up in games and looking like no one has prepared, even the coaches. Like last night, yes, we won and I'm tickled pink, but episodes like that need to stop. We play too much on the margins in too many games, especially in games where we're the most talented. We make 17 point wins feel like nailbiters. That has to get corrected. But congratulations to Coach and the team for bowing up and showing some brass balls. They earned it last night. RTR!

 

[JustNeedMe81]

As always.... I wait until the next day to remove emotion from all of this.... Let me the one to tell you this:

Roll Tide! Enjoy this guys. Take the time this weekend to soak in all of this moment and just appreciate it. It wasn't pretty and Bama players and coaches rolled up their sleeves and got nasty and fought like heck to come back into the game and that's their identity this year: Gritty wins.

Two bad punts by Dobbs, 31 and 32 yards, allowed points. Blocked Punt by Keenan and Interception by brown was the game changing for the Alabama. Brooks grew up a lot last night. Ty never gave up and He looks much better than he did in SEC Championship health wise.

Defense.... Bama defense stats are actually much better than OU. 5 sacks, 7 TFL and 5 PD. OU had 4 sacks, 7 TFL and 2 PD. Wommack get lot of credit for adjusting throughout the game.

Grubb didn't call a clean game, but he improved compared to two weeks ago.

Game balls: Keenan, Brown and Brooks!

 

[JustNeedMe81]

This! One of DeBoers weaknesses we saw in the SEC title game and in the OU game and thats showing up in games and looking like no one has prepared, even the coaches. Like last night, yes, we won and I'm tickled pink, but episodes like that need to stop. We play too much on the margins in too many games, especially in games where we're the most talented. We make 17 point wins feel like nailbiters. That has to get corrected. But congratulations to Coach and the team for bowing up and showing some brass balls. They earned it last night. RTR!

I think this get corrected in off season.

 

[81usaf92]

The problem with football (and fans in general) is that there is a panic button the average fan hits way too soon. I liken coming back in a football game to what the late Richard Simmons always said about losing weight: "you didn't put it on overnight, and you can't take it off overnight." My point being that what FANS wanted when we were 17 points behind was one bomb for an 18-point touchdown to erase everything that happened previous.

My Oregon bud and I were texting during the 2016 Alabama-Ole Miss game. To those who recall - and boy was there a similar meltdown on this board during the first half that day - we fell behind, 24-3 after the Jalen fumbled ball for a TD. There was 2:47 left in the half, and my Oregon bud said, "You gotta pull your quarterback." I said, "No, he just needs to put together a drive that gets us some points. We get the ball to start the second half." Ole Miss got hit with a personal foul on the TD and we started at midfield and scored in just three plays.

24-10.

And then Eddie took it to the house on the punt return.

24-17 and we get the ball.

He texted me after the game, "Well what do I know about football?"



But this "hit the panic button" approach never works. One more example.


2012 SECCG. UGA blocks a FG and returns it for a 21-10 lead. My immediate thought for strategy: "Run the ball, 4 yards per play is all you need. Alternate Yeldon and Lacy as needed, punch it in, and we'll only be down by 21-17 and their D will be tired."

I was only wrong about one thing: we were only down 21-18.

16 ole miss…. I was at that game with my mom because she just had to see the grove. Good god was it hot, the grove the most overrated piece of property in college football, and the ole miss fans displayed the most vile and obnoxious fans I’ve ever been around in a game. And I’ve been in the middle of Georgia and Florida fans in their places.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I think this get corrected in off season.

It needs to because continuing to play games on the margins ultimately comes back and bites you hard.

But I think he makes some necessary changes this offseason to correct a lot of that.

 

[81usaf92]

The biggest difference in that first quarter we played mostly four man front with zone behind it. Very little blitzing or stunts and no pressure on Mateer. We started mixing coverages, mixing front looks and confusing their OL and gave Mateer the “happy feet”.

Wommack seems to have a tendency to play pretty vanilla early until he gets a feel for what the other team is doing.

I think it’s more about not knowing whether or not Mateer was the Michigan version of Mateer or the 1st bama game version of Mateer.

 

[Padreruf]

Yes, but I think he'll figure that out. He's still a young coach.

CNS, at his age, had only won 1 NC - his first and only one at LSU.

The point is, many posters need to take a chill pill on CDK and realize he's a pretty good coach, right now, but hopefully will get better. Furthermore, we need to be thankful we have him.

But the constant "fire him" and/or "let Michigan have him" is getting beyond ridiculous.

I stayed off this site until a couple of hours after the game...the negativity is too much for me. I have not yet met the perfect player and/or coach, but evidently there are many in the stands @ CF games.

I do remember a former coach saying that most games are lost due to mistakes than won due to positive plays -- especially the "big" games between evenly matched teams. This has proved true for our 2 games against OU and yes, even against UGA.

On to the Rose Bowl...

 

[BamaMoon]

In everyone's that was critical in the 1st quarter defense we looked unprepared, clumsy, scared. it looked worse that the sec championship game. It looked like the meatchicken rumor was true and DeBoer had one foot out the door and had told the team and nobody cared. It was pathetic and infuriating. Now in hindsight, I think it could have been nerves or the sooners were maybe throwing something at us that threw us off our plan and we adjusted. I will own it. I was wrong and overreacted. I feel confident we beat Indiana, but cannot start like we did last night.

I appreciate you owning it. But, when you think about it (after the fact, without being emotionally invested), the coaches had nothing much to do with the start.

The D gave up some 1st downs on the first series resulting in us having bad field position starting at our own 12. The 3rd and 5, although Ty had pressure, was a perfect ball in tight coverage and Horton just flat out dropped it.

The next series, on the kickoff, Brooks didn't fair catch and we started again at the 15. Two series in a row with bad field position. On first down, Ty didn't see a blitz coming and got sacked back at the 5 yardline. Drive ends with a punt from our goal line.

Because of the bad field position (self inflicted), OU starts their next series at the 50 yard line. D holds and they only give up 3. Not bad.

Next series, down 10-0, we finally start a drive at our 25. We try to establish the run with a couple of tries, which everyone thinks we need to, and then on 3rd and 3, Horton and TS aren't on the same page.

At this point, if we could have just made one first down, you'd think we settle in.

On fourth down, our punter shanks one and they start with good field position at close to their 40 again. Defense continues to play hard. Justin Jefferson has a great TFL and almost dislodges the ball. To OU's credit, they make a couple of 3rd down conversions (one of those because our DB falls down) and they score another TD and it's 17-0 with 10:51.

Now, to our team's willingness to stay in it, we gradually start a come back. While most of us have given up, they haven't!!!

We start the next drive...only our 10th play of the game...at our 25 again. We finally make a 1st down on our 12th play of the game with about 9:30 in the second quarter.

I contend it was NOT the coaches game plan or lack of coaching. Our players, along with OU's good start, put us behind the 8 ball.

And then we score and....the rest is history!

 

[colbysullivan]

I might be stupid, but I think we beat Indiana.

Two things can be true

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I think a lot of it is “CKD isn’t Nick Saban” that rubs many of his detractors the wrong way. Nothing he can potentially do until he wins a national championship will ever be enough to get them on their side.

True story you were not around to see:

Ray Perkins, whiff of arrogance that he was, got a bit of a free pass when his first loss in 1983 was to Penn State on the controversial "not a touchdown" pass to Preston Gothard. We lost the next week to Tennessee and it was, "Bryant wouldn't have lost that game."

Bryant had lost that exact same game a year earlier with most of the same players by the exact same 7-point margin, but this didn't stop fans from saying that nonsense. Then he lost to Boston College in Foxboro in a game where the third quarter TV broadcast was blown out by a snowstorm, and nobody cared. Perkins, in fact, told a press conference Alabama had already practiced for Auburn (during the prep for Boston College). Then he lost to Auburn, and it was, "Bryant wouldn't have lost to Auburn."

Bryant lost to Auburn the previous year and gave up the same 23 points with virtually the same team. But sure, he would have won in 1983 and it was all Perkins's fault except for the torrential rain that somehow was an excuse.

If he beats Indiana it will be “well I always knew Indiana was overrated”

Bring up the fact that he just overcame a 17 point deficit in a crazy environment… it will be “well curry did it down 21, and you see my point that he is curry 2.0”

Can't argue with this.

I think many who don’t want him are that way because he wasn’t who they wanted, he doesn’t prepare like Saban, and games are close. It has very little to do with Cignetti

Well, except some folks wanted Cignetti - and another contingent would have said, "What has he actually done anywhere?"

 

[RammerJammer14]

I didn't watch the postgame but that's good.

This is a guy whose Washington team in 2023 trailed 1-5 Arizona State, 7-3, entering the fourth quarter and won. Whose team kicked a game-winning field goal on the last play of the Apple Cup to topple 5-6 Wazzu, 24-21. Who trailed SCAR in both 2024 and 2025 entering the fourth quarter - and won both. Who fell behind Michigan, 16-0, in the bowl game last year and battled back to what would have been a win but for FIVE turnovers (folks, Saban couldn't overcome 5 TOs, either). He had the big play at the end win against Georgia in 2024 and Auburn in 2025.


I think what we have to accept is that THIS IS WHO HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN.

What is needed is improvement at the margins with discipline, football intelligence (like quick run the play to stop the review), and better development of the offensive line.

Compared to the best coaches of recent years, he's a cut below.
But he's not nearly as bad as some suggest, either.


At the same time - the onus is on CKD to DO WHAT IS NECESSARY to plug those gaps, too.

I want to point out that I was dogging DeBoer at the beginning of the season for never having a single game with less penalties than the opponent. Basically since the day I said that (somewhere around the first UGA game) we have had less penalties than every opponent and been about the least penalized team in the conference lol.

 

[colbysullivan]

I'm not sure either FG really mattered tbh.

The first one absolutely mattered. It completely changed their strategy. They were already beaten by the 2nd one.

 

[DanoCanuck]

Its awesome how the morning light brings clarity and reflection. It also brings out the well informed and insightful long time posters putting the game, our coach and the state of our program into perspective. Thanks guys, you know who you are!

 

[CrimsonTheory]

I have not been feeling well for a few days now, so I went to bed early last night, and I slept through the game. Did I miss anything?

Roll ALL DAY LONG Tide!!!

 

[colbysullivan]

I can’t stand Oklahoma or Venables. I think he’s a dirty, cheating coach. Venables really thought he was being cute by mocking CKD with the black hoodie.

They really do resemble it each other physically though. Every time they showed one of them looking down, I had to look again to make sure who it was.