Offense:
Let's start with the obvious. Derrick Henry is freaking amazing. Not only did he had 3 TDs in the game, he also showed his prowess in pass protection by way-laying a would-be blitzer and then sticking with the block for the entire length of the play. Rarely do you see a guy who can do that, but Derrick Henry is built like a Linebacker at 6-3 and 242 pounds, and he can hit like one coming through the hole. He'll cause massive problems for any defense, and the first thing anybody will say when they gameplan against Alabama will be: "How do we stop #2?"
The first start for quarterback Jacob Coker was better than I expected. Coker is a transfer senior that lost out in a battle at FSU with Jameis Winston (probably because he wasn't morally bankrupt), then lost out the battle last year at Alabama with Blake Sims. In my opinion, he shouldn't have lost that battle with Sims. I think the main reason he did is that Coker doesn't really have a great deep ball arm, although he can hit the receiver if he's wide open, and he's not as athletic on the ground. It's not a question so much of strength, but more of accuracy. Up close though? Coker is pretty outstanding. He seems to read the defenses well, and he can make all the short to intermediate throws. With a running back like Henry, I don't think you need a ton more than that. He'll fit in nicely with the Alabama game manager role, which is something I don't think Blake Sims ever did well.
Coker was a high percentage passer in the game as you would expect, going 15/21 but averaging 10+ yards a completion. That's big for an Alabama offense that will want to go run first, because it's going to keep opposing defenses from checking down and stacking the box. If Coker and his receivers, especially tight end #88 OJ Howard who I thought had a great game with 3 catches for 12+ yards each, then they will be extremely hard to defend. However, one downside I will point out with Coker is that his internal clock for sacks doesn't seem that great, and he got caught a few times because he can't really beat anybody with his legs. He looks more like a classic pocket passer, but he lacks the gunslinger arm you'd associate with that role, which would make him a top 10 draft pick if he had it.
But it doesn't just stop with Henry and Coker. They have another shifty running back named Kenyan Drake, who can really shake and bake defenders before taking off with some serious outside speed. Drake had a big game with a touchdown as everyone thought he was wrapped up in the middle. Instead, Drake spun off the would-be arm tacklers and jetted to the outside before turning the corner and taking it to the house for 6. It was 43 yards on the ground when he should have been down. I guarantee the Wisconsin coaches were ready to pummel the guys who decided to quit on the play and let Drake out of the box. Oh and just in case you thought Alabama didn't have receivers, they have a very solid WR in #8 Robert Foster, who caught 4 passes for 50 yards and a TD.
Of course Alabama's line is ridiculously strong, led by Center #70 Ryan Kelly. From what I saw of Kelly blocking, he's about as good as it gets in the SEC. He sprung Henry almost single-handedly by taking on a block at the point of attack, then shedding it and sealing off a linebacker as Henry scampered up the middle for a 40+ yard TD. Mind you, that was on 4th and 1, when everyone in the world was expecting a run. And Alabama's line demolished that goal-line defense, breaking it open like a Cadbury Egg for that sweet, sweet cream. That's for you other fat kids out there.
The scariest thing about this Alabama team is I think this offense can get even better, and they took apart a pretty solid defensive team in Wisconsin, with no turnovers. Oh and they were balanced to boot. 264 yards in the air, 238 on the ground. If they aren't the number one team in the country, I don't know who is right now. And I watched Ohio State struggle with Virginia Tech.
Defense:
We already know a lot about what Alabama is on defense. What I noticed the most was the kind of formations they kept running against a Wisconsin team I know wanted to run the ball. If you're playing Alabama, the one thing I would toss out of the playbook is a bunch of runs between the tackles. That's a fantastic way to have your fans on Twitter photoshop your head onto a donkey.
In almost every 3rd and short situation, Alabama was stacking the line with at least 6 guys. They would stand on the other side of the line and dare Wisconsin to throw. And often Wisconsin did throw. When they did, it showed the one glaring weakness on this Alabama team, and that's in the secondary. One guy in particular I noticed that had a tough day was #26 Marlon Humphrey a freshman DB. If you are facing Alabama, tell your QB to try and isolate this guy, and then pick on him. He didn't look ready for primetime to me at all, and he got himself caught at one point with a really stupid PI penalty because he didn't get his head around.
On the flip side, stay the heck away from #29 Minkah Fitzpatrick, the other freshman DB. He was everywhere including blitzes, coverage, and he can make tackles.Yes, he did get beat once for a slant route TD, but only because he was actually TACKLING the receiver as he caught the ball going to the ground. And that's one of the hallmarks of this defense that you would immediately notice. Nobody here is arm tackling. Players can tackle in space. It's amazingly simple, but you see so many college programs screw it up, and you notice when one of the best defenses in the country does it so very well.
The only thing I think Alabama's defense needs to worry about is the same thing that seems to plague them year-to-year. High powered passing, spread, high-tempo offenses will give this team fits. They are young in the back, and a good fast QB who can make them get out of position will have a field day in the passing game. Not to mention if you back them off the line by spreading it out, you'll have more open running lanes in the middle. At the very least, if I'm training a QB coming into this game, all I'm doing is preparing for blitz packages and dumping off the ball quickly. Recognize and react to the blitz. If you can pull that off, you can best this defense in the short run.
But you'll still have a score a bunch, because that offense looks great. And it also looks like it will grind you to death with ball control too. Taking over time of possession and going for long drives just seems to take the air out of a bunch of college kids, and Alabama can do that in spades.
Will the Tide Roll this year? They have a lot more tougher tests than Wisconsin, but I think they've found their QB for sure. Now if they find some strength in the secondary? The Tide will roll all year long.
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