It’s do or die.
The Alabama Crimson Tide heads into Norman, where they face the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the College Football Playoffs.
But it’s not that simple.
Alabama for decades, were the cream of the crop, and were hardly a program to be messed with.
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The difference is, Oklahoma has had the Tide’s number for the past two seasons, smoking them 24-3 in 2024, and then walking into Bryant-Denny Stadium and winning 23-21.
Even worse, the Sooners took a picture in front of the Alabama ‘script A’ in the middle of the field to signify that there was a new sheriff in town.
With one more chance at redemption, we’ll tackle four keys to the game for Alabama vs Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoffs.
This shouldn’t be a surprise.
A major reason why the Crimson Tide weren’t able to get going was because they found themselves in a 10-point hole to start the game.
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To kick off Week 12 in front of their home fans, the Tide completed two 3-and-outs, along with a pick-six in the first quarter isn’t exactly the type of football that wins championships.
In fact, it looked a whole lot like the SEC Championship match where Georgia dog-walked the Tide two weeks ago.
This will all be indicative of how this team plays on the offensive end, because this program has not fared well with the ball in their hands.
Oklahoma is going to throw everything it has against Alabama.
It’s been pretty evident that if you throw multiple pass rushers at quarterback Ty Simpson, it’s going to result in some sort of breakdown.
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In 488 dropbacks all season, Simpson was pressured in 29% of them. From there, when he gets pressured, he only completes 50% of his passes, and a PFF passing grade of 50.4.
Now, to that point, Simpson also has gotten blitzed in 43% of his snaps, but has a mildly better pass percentage, completing at a 57% clip.
Alabama has been known to throw several trick plays at its opponents. A trick play here or there won’t be the end of the world, because Simpson has the legs to run from pressure.
That is… if he’s healthy.
We saw in the SEC Championship, that Alabama continued to attempt to run the ball, and no matter how many times it tried, it just wasn’t working.
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At the risk of sounding cliche, it was offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb sticking a square peg into a round hole.
Because Alabama’s running backs were getting zero traction, and it showed.
As a whole, Alabama collected 26 rushing yards, with the leading rusher being Daniel Hill with only 11 yards on the ground.
So, why not be safe?
Let Simpson use this game to get his swagger back. Throw screen passes. Throw check downs. Look at the tight ends. Look for slant routes.
Stop trying to overcompensate for a mediocre run game with an explosive play. Because that’s when it’ll bite you where the sun don’t shine.
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The least of the concerns lies with Alabama’s defense.
Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has his boys clicking on all cylinders, and it’s evident that they’re willing to go to battle for each other.
If the defense does its job, the rest should handle itself.
But that’s the problem, because the rest hasn’t handled itself. Instead, the defense has to do more to put the offense in better shape.
It’s been a tremendous season for safety Bray Hubbard, and pass rusher Yhonzae Pierre has solidified himself as one of the brightest defenders in football today.
Yet if the offense can’t carry it’s own weight, you run the risk of overworking your defense.
