The #10 Alabama Crimson Tide looked for a solid chance to rebound after the tough 31-21 loss at home to #11 Texas last week by taking on the South Florida Bulls on the road. Instead of rebounding from a tough loss, Alabama looked even worse to heavy underdogs in South Florida. While the Tide got the 17-3 victory, the performance from the position groups with the biggest questions had another slate of terrible performances. These glaring needs could play a serious role in how far the Tide will go toward an SEC Title and a Championship run that looks more unlikely as the season progresses.
What to Think of Alabama’s Offense in 17-3 Win Over South Florida
Tyler Buchner Got His Chance and Disappointed
The benching of Jalen Milroe after a bad game against Texas may not have been required, but it was vital. The Tide needed to see what former Notre Dame starting quarterback Tyler Buchner as the starting quarterback. After just short of one half, the Tide have seen enough to know Buchner is not the leader of the offense. Buchner completed 5-of-14 for 34 yards in nearly two quarters. While the offensive line wasn’t good (we will get into that later), Buchner did nothing to help himself and drive the ball down the field. His throws were off the mark, couldn’t establish connections with his receivers, and looked lost. Head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees gave Buchner a shot, and that was a mistake as the Tide’s offense stalled.
Ty Simpson Did Enough For a Win
Redshirt freshman Ty Simpson came into the season as the third-string quarterback as he didn’t do enough to beat out Buchner or Milroe in fall camp. Simpson had the role at quarterback because Buchner was terrible and Milroe couldn’t read the defense. That being said, when he took the field, he did enough to push Alabama to two critical scoring drives against South Florida. This is not the same Bulls team that finished the season 1-11 last year. This Bulls’ defense was hungry to make Alabama and the offensive line look bad (trust me, getting there).
Simpson completed 5-of-9 for 73 yards and a one-yard rushing touchdown to seal the game. He was hit throughout the game with some of them being sacks. There were some sacks where he held onto the ball for too long. In his short span under Simpson did enough to get Alabama from avoiding an embarrassing loss. While it’s not going to be enough to beat #17 Ole Miss at home next week, and yet, this Saturday was a start.
Eric Wolford is a Problem For the Tide’s Offensive Line
While the quarterbacks are the face of the Tide’s poor-performing offense, the offensive line is the real problem. After two tough performances against Middle Tennessee and Texas, the offensive line needed to acknowledge their problems, prepare better, and play more efficiently against the Bulls. Instead of getting better, the offensive line of Alabama looked even worse. The blame has to go to offensive line coach Eric Wolford.
The offensive line of Alabama allowed the defense of South Florida to account for five sacks and eight tackles loss. Former five-star recruit Kadyn Proctor looked like a struggling JUCO player. Seth McLaughlin’s snaps at center only improved to not hit the ground. J.C. Latham is far from the Outland Trophy winner he projected winning at the beginning of the season.
The protection of Buchner and Simpson got worse after the weather delay. The Bulls’ defensive line and blitzing backers bullied the Tide at the line of scrimmage. Most of Roydell Williams’ 129 yards on 17 carries were on the outside as there were rarely open holes at the interior.
Next week, the offensive line will have to protect Simpson, likely, against a hungry Rebels’ defense coached by former Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding. He knows all about the weaknesses of Wolford’s position group. Wolford is the coach who will be the downfall of Alabama’s contention for the College Football Playoffs.
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