With Saturday’s narrow 24-21 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide move to 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in SEC play.
Despite getting the win, it’s hard to come away from that performance impressed with the Tide. Alabama had every opportunity in the world to balloon their lead, and they just didn’t get it done.
Nevertheless, a win is a win, and Alabama still has all their goals in front of them as they race towards the end of the 2023 regular season.
As the Bama faithful breathe a sigh of relief, let’s look at this week’s report card for the Crimson Tide.
Overall Grade: C+
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama played well for the first 30 minutes, but in a 60-minute contest, that’s not good enough. This Alabama team has to learn to finish when they are ahead. As Coach Saban mentioned in the post-game, “There’s a difference between beating the other team and winning the game”.
Offensive Grade: C+
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
After putting up 21 points in the first half, the Alabama offense looked disinterested in the final 30 minutes putting up just three second-half points. The offensive line struggled to pass protect, Milroe was off target on some throws, receivers dropped passes, and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees abandoned the running game in the fourth quarter. The lack of consistency still haunts the Alabama offense.
Defensive Grade: B
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The Alabama defense played great for about three quarters then a drive by the Razorbacks that was aided by a pair of penalties on the Tide’s defense, had Alabama on its heels for the remainder of the contest. It’s hard to find too much fault in a defensive unit that allowed just 250 total yards, but like the Alabama offense, they didn’t finish the game well.
Special Teams: A
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