As I have many times before (and I mean MANY times), I spent a few minutes this week talking with Brent Taylor of our SB Nation sister site Roll Bama Roll. Brent filled me in on developments since watching the Crimson Tide up close in September, as well as this afternoon’s key matchup, and sympathized with our collective belief that Auburn sucks.
As always, Brent has some great insights into the Tide and provides a unique perspective on the game. enjoy.
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MD: I asked back in September how much of an impact having Jam Miller back would have on Georgia (it turned out not to be as big of a deal as the raw third down execution). So… assuming he’s out, does it really make any difference for Atlanta?
Brent: After our game against UGA, I spent most of the season saying Miller was not the answer at RB. His vision is terrible, his balance is poor, and his supposed ability to block passes has been debunked. Now, admittedly, none of Alabama’s other RBs have really performed better. Miller did suddenly hit a couple of really good runs against Auburn (who knows where that came from), but then went down with an injury.
I don’t think it makes any difference. He’s interchangeable with Daniel Hill, who is a little better at throwing forward 3 yards instead of 0 anyway. This most likely means freshman AK Dear did get some photos. I know he’s supposed to be “not ready,” or whatever that means. But he’s also the only player to have a breakout season this season, even if they were against Los Angeles Monroe.
MD: Ty Simpson’s performance against Georgia in September helped propel him into the thick of the Heisman conversation. Since then, he’s had some great games (Vandy, Missouri, Tennessee) and some mediocre games (South Carolina, LSU, Auburn). Which Ty Simpson do you think will play against Georgia? What’s the difference for him between lighting up a game and doing everything he can to win?
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Brent: Simpson is still the same person. I think the only difference is that in the past three SEC games, opponents have enough tape to know where OC Ryan Grubb wants to take the football (hint – it’s a 20-yard dig, sail, and switch route), and the Alabama offense doesn’t have anything else to counter. There’s also the fact that Simpson relies heavily on withholding adjustments. This came into play early in the season when he was able to change the game to his advantage. Now, Oklahoma State and Auburn are starting to catch on, too. They deliberately made it look like they had Simpson checked out, then gave up on it in separate reports. Coupled with a complete disregard for the running game and an all-out blitz, our quarterback is under pressure to think hard about how to get to the 25 yards instead of just a quick slant or a no-brainer screen.
MD: By my count, Ryan Williams played 38 of Alabama’s 73 possessions against the O’bies. However he didn’t catch the ball and unless I missed it, he wasn’t the target at all. Karen DeBoer later said there was no explanation for it, they just never contacted him as it progressed. Do you believe him, or is there something else going on? Bonus question: Did the youngest sophomore(TM) in college football history have 4.9 more catches or 69.9 yards against Georgia?
Brent: I do agree with DeBoer. Williams has dealt with nagging injuries all season (concussion and hamstring), so that limited his early playing time, and he never really seemed to be in sync with Simpson. His skill set is also better suited for quick screens or long shots, with Ryan Grubb refusing to call the first one while Simpson and OL struggle to make the second one happen. That makes Jamie Bernard and Isaiah Horton more consistent, so you can’t afford to leave either of them out for Williams. So, Williams has been playing in this position all season, and honestly, it’s never been his natural position. So he spent time with freshman Lotzier Brooks.
I’ll be responsible for the catches and yards for him. I don’t see any reason to think his current production trends will change.
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MD: I think when we talked back in September, I’ll admit that I was probably more worried about Jamie Bernard than the other Tide receivers (the fact that he scored the Tide’s first touchdown seven minutes into the game didn’t make me feel any better). How has the unit evolved as the season has progressed?
Brent: Jamie was Alabama’s best receiver for two consecutive seasons. He really does everything well. Isaiah Horton also performed well intermittently. He’s not a YAC guy by any means, but he’s long and a crafty route runner. The major development this season has been Lotzier Brooks – a freshman who played so well that he cut games for Ryan Williams and benched all other players like Rico Scott, Cole Adams and Jalen Hale (who all started at Alabama). Brooks had some issues shooting the ball, but he made some pretty amazing plays with the ball in his hands.
I also want to point out that Alabama’s second-best receiver behind Germie Bernard is TE Josh Cuevas, who has been Simpson’s true third security blanket all season. He has missed the past two weeks and will be out this week. His absence hasn’t been discussed much, but I think it’s a bigger issue for the entire Alabama offense than many think.
MD: Bama gave up 227 yards to Georgia in their last game. The Tide haven’t allowed any opponent to rush for more than 163 yards since then and haven’t allowed anyone other than Ahmad Hardy or Diego Pavia to exceed 4.30 yards per carry. Are there any bright spots for Alabama’s run defense since Bulldog fans last saw it?
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Brent: They struggled a bit on the outside earlier this year, with cornerback Domani Jackson nearly screwing up the game against UGA. He was benched in favor of Dijon Lee, a five-star freshman cornerback who is a 6-foot-4 behemoth. Even so, the issue has never really been people losing representation—it’s just those on the margins. At this point, this has largely been corrected. The defense as a whole still struggles with the quarterback rushing threat, but other than that, they’ve been an absolute nail in the coffin since the Tennessee game.
MD: For Bulldog fans who haven’t followed the Tide since September, what’s the biggest difference between this team and Week 4?
Brent: Honestly, I think it’s still the same team. They have a solid defense and quarterback that can do some real NFL-level things. They also have no balance or counterattacks offensively and are almost a one-dimensional offense at this point. They excel at running out the clock and turning every game into a 20-25 point battle, no matter who the opponent is. Simpson and the entire team seemed to be firing on all cylinders during life-or-death moments. The game is tied, is it Game 4 or Game 5? They will make a difference. On the other hand, they are absolutely allergic to success. Almost every game follows the same pattern: they take the lead early on, then get into an all-out struggle until their opponent ties or takes the lead, and then they pull away at the end to win. That’s not a particularly sustainable way to play a full season (we learned that at Oklahoma State), but you can’t deny the “clutch” genes they possess.
MD: Every Q&A must have one, and this one is no exception: What is your score prediction?
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Brent: 28-24 Georgia. Alabama plays every game around that score, and Georgia usually does the same. I think Georgia is the better team, but Alabama has a slight advantage on the schematic. The tiebreaker will be determined by the previous loser in the rematch. I don’t know what the psychology is, but it seems to be consistent in college football. I can almost guarantee this will be an ugly game with fans on both sides going crazy and the winner walking out more relieved than cheering.
MD: No, really, how bad is Auburn?
Brent: Like the top-of-the-line Dyson you just bought for Black Friday! I will give them credit for having an impressive defensive front 7. But man, the offense was brutal. What I find hilarious is that they fired Gus Malzahn for playing well and have been languishing in defeat ever since. I would be happy to cede Lee County to the State of Georgia if you would.
Thanks again Brent. Remember to stop by Roll Bama Roll for all your Forrest-related exercise needs.
Go for it!