The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly- Arkansas

I have taken an extra day to think about this game.  While some will complain and say that I am hunting things to call "bad", it wasn't hard to find some....3 tries for 1 inch and can't get it...but actually, I saw a few things and wanted a second set of eyes (impartial ones at that) tell me what they saw.  I will try to respond to any of your comments, but it being Tuesday morning, I will be golfing with John Smoltz, and no I won't take a picture or doing anything to embarass myself (outside of play golf) for the cause...


OFFENSE

The Good....

AJ continues to develop

I am not a stat hound.  I could care less about most stats.  I care about 3 things on the stat sheet when talking about QBs.  Completion percentage, number of interceptions, and number of sacks taken.  The rest is just fodder, including touchdowns.  If a QB hits above 65%, has 1 or fewer INTs a game, and 3 or fewer sacks a week, then you are gonna take care of touchdowns, yards, and all that crap.  So, on Saturday he hit all 3 and has for the most part all season.  The only thing he needs to work on is his timing with Maze on the outs and slants to the sideline.  He's still a little off.  Outside of that, he's doing all the right things.  He is managing the game well.  You don't see a lot of confusion and you don't see a lot of blown plays.  He isn't putting the D in bad positions and he continues to progress forward and look a little better each week.  He is becoming a game manager.....heh....

Running Game gets going....sorta

I preface this because this is the thing I wanted other eyes on.  Not because they ran the ball better, it is Arkansas and they gash to anyone.  I wanted it because I wanted someone else to tell me that I wasn't seeing things.  For 3 weeks, it has been a lot of passive plays- traps, delayed hand offs, zone reads- and not a lot of downhill helmet on helmet play.  The biggest upgrade to Bama's run game was that they went more power with counters and more to the tackles plays.  That goes more into the style that I am more comfortable with because it gets the OL in the game and gets them motivated, and it also wears down the defense when they are always having to hold their ground.  It was the interior's best game of the year and it also was one that probably asked a lot less of them.  There were more runs outside, and more quick pass plays to keep them from getting in trouble.  That's a good thing when it works. 

Richardson is starting to get in his zone

It is always a football truth that a great running back can make any offensive line look good.  Richardson's awakening has also improved the look of the line.  Richardson loves to kill Arkansas, they hate to tackle and he dares you to.  Richardson and Lacy are really stepping up to carry the load and take the pressure off everyone else.  With the short passes, and both backs getting yards in bunches now, it makes the game more one on one where Bama should win that battle most times.  The biggest change in Richardson is that he's getting patient and he's seeing the gaps a little better because he is patient with the play. 

Having Hanks back is good for business

Darius won't catch your eye on the stat lines, but he is in there.  He is sealing corners on screens, sealing running lanes to the outside for Richardson and Lacy, and clearing out zone covers to get a matchup for Maze.  Does it show up on the stat line?  No.  Does it win ball games?  Yes.  Hanks is a big part of this offense and the 2 weeks without him exposed that.  He will do all the things that the team needs to get first downs and touchdowns.  Perhaps they should line him up on goal line at TE....

More looks for opponents to digest

Bama again used the Wildcat with McCarron at QB.  They used a lot of trips this week and used a host of player packages that will make life fun for the scouts.  Bama used the pistol after scrapping it some earlier.  Bama used a lot more pulling guard plays this past week than in the last 3.  As I mentioned earlier, they were going outside the tackles more now and it seemed to work better than trying to maul it over the middle.  My favorite play of Saturday's game was the Wildcat screen.  It was the 2nd TD pass that Richardson took to the house.  The play started with WR motion to the wide side and drew the D to the right, they slipped Richardson off a block and set the screen up and the rest was just Trent being Trent. 

The Bad....

Play Calling left a lot to be desired

Don't bother telling me that the team had however many yards or scored 38 points.  That is all well and good, but Bama didn't score an offensive touchdown until the 3rd quarter.  In fact, the special teams almost beat the offense in scoring (17-14, Defense 7).  The issue I had with the calls were that they didn't have any flow or plan to them.  You start out running and it goes well to start the game, then you start throwing and kill the momentum.  That got lost because Williams is still running with the ball, but it doesn't go unnoticed that they continue to stall.  The goal line series was just junk.  3 plays, nothing that had a shot of working, and a field goal.  It took a good while before the offense got hitting, and once it did, it was a run away, but it wasn't great for a while.  Bama's first 5 drives stalled and out of those only 2 had more than 4 plays. 

Here's an example.  Bama in the 2nd was driving down the field.  Lacy and Richardson were taking up chunks of yards running outside the tackles.  Bama gets to the 9 and they decide on 2nd and 7 to run trips right with a TE to the strong side along with Richardson.  The TE is Smelley who has yet to block a soul all 4 years.  The play is designed to rub him off a defender after he initiates a block and slides off and Richardson is to pick him up.  Smelley misses and the defender is downhill so fast that Richardson cannot get to him before he's blown the play up and flushed AJ out.  Now, pre-snap, Arkansas puts 6 on the line and only 1 deep safety (his foot is on the goal line), this is a sure fire blitz package.  It is goal line and they aren't worried about White, Maze or Hanks.  They were right.  The play call wasn't right with what was working.  I will say that AJ should have caught this pre snap and called timeout or audibled to get to a play that was better suited like the slip screens they had ran with success or the HB dump passes. 

The Ugly...

Les Miles eats inches of grass better than Bama's goal line offense does

Ok, Bama has 2nd and 7 that is the sack described above.  They dump it to TR and get to the 1.  So it is first and goal.  The play gets reviewed so you are getitng a free timeout to make a play call.  Bama runs a QB sneak with a 180 pound QB....  I do agree that you should trust your All Conference Center to make that couple of inches he needs, but Vlachos hasn't blown away anybody in a while.  Also, someone needs to take time to teach the linemen to get lower and take the legs out.  First down the snap is exchanged and you can see a ton of red jerseys as McCarron is trying to wedge forward.  Second down, they go with the muscle.  I agree with the play call but would have liked it better on 1st down.  Bama again is too high and loses the battle up front allowing a surge back to Fowler who had no chance once because Steen and Fluker never got down on their blocks.  Vlachos did get down on his and had made a lane, but because the right side was peeled back so, it vanished by the time AJ handed the ball off.  Third and goal is just ugly folks.  They have their power to the left with Williams, Jones, and Underwood.  They run a counter right with Steen and from LG to RT you can see their numbers when snapped.  If Vlachos gets lower, he holds his ground in the middle and the linebacker never gets to Richardson, but because he is too high for goal line blocking he is moved right and because Warmack also is getting taken out by a lower drive, there is about a 2 and half shoulder to shoulder gap between C and LG.  Now, it may be that Underwood didn't slide in for his block.  It may be that they were slide right and Fowler misses his block because he doesn't know blocking-he knows running and tackling.  Between the counter, the defeat up front, and the missed fullback lead, when Richardson gets the handoff a Hawg LB is 1 yard from him.  The play lost 3 yards. 

Some will bitch that I took time to talk about that in detail, but you think LSU hasn't noticed????  Florida is bound to be feeling good that they can man up. 

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

The Good....

Maze goes and goes and goes

He had a few good returns before this one, but Arkansas made 2 mistakes that cost them.  First, they out kicked the coverage.  Second, there were at least 2 that got out of their lanes and were too far inside.  As such, when you do that with an athlete as gifted as Maze has become, you have given him all he needs to break a big play.  Sunseri made his weekly big play by sealing a block late in the play.

Upshaw jaws and Menzie reaps the reward

Menzie is one of those guys that we are just now seeing how talented he is because he's healthy finally.  On his TD, the play before Upshaw and Wilson start to bark.  Arkansas called time to regroup. It didn't work.  The pass was off and Menzie makes a great play by keeping it alive and getting it for the score.  The more enjoyable part is that Upshaw hunted Wilson to get him some blockin......linebackers love to block QBs. 

Hightower is well....that damn good

I don't know where he will be at the end of his career in relation to the greats.  I do know that he deserves to be mentioned in their breath.  I thought this was his best game in a long time.  The 3rd down tackle on a ARK WR coming across the field was shades of his form pre-injury.  He is a rare player too.  McClain could cover and manage, but he couldn't rush as well.  Hightower can cover, he manages things, and he is the teams best rush specialist.  I just can't believe that he has come this far after injury, but he's been special since he hit the campus. 

A year later, the McCarron special teams pass works

Last year, the fake was just as obvious, but it just wasn't a good play for a player who had maybe 15 snaps total.  This year, it was obvious they weren't kicking.  The scouting report tells you Bama isn't good from beyond 43 yards or so.  However, they did something that was better than last year- they stood AJ up.  Getting him upright and seeing how Arkansas reacted to the play helped him decide who his read was.  It also was interesting they ran a slip wheel route with Williams across the formation to get him loose.  It was probably the best play of the season to date. 

Lots of individual performers step up

Dre Kirkpatrick had talked a lot this week.  He wanted this game.  He had a sub-par game last year against them and it was motivating him.  I thought he did a superb job of shutting his side down and making a lot of key tackles.  I also thought Hubbard had a good game filling in for Mosley.  Jesse Williams was getting into a lot of plays and was a silent reason why Arkansas was zilch for running most of the day.  Ed Stinson also had a solid day in reserve. 

The Bad...

Arkansas 1st score

Bama had the momentum but didn't keep it.  They allowed Arkansas to march them down for a 12 play 5 and a half minute drive.  While they did a good job all day of keeping Arkansas from making big passes, they did let ARK get too many 3rd down conversions on this drive.  ARK converted a 3rd and 12, allowed a a slip screen to go more like a reverse and make a 1st, after a 2nd and 20- ARK was allowed to convert 3rd and 11, and the worst play of the series was the TD play where about 4 players lost their composure and were out of position and it was an easy score.  Half of Arkansas 3rd down conversions came in this drive.

The Ugly....

Is it really called punting when they just go a minimal distance?

When you average 37 a punt, you aren't getting it done.  Now, last week his average was 35 or so and that got them inside the 20.  This week wasn't one of those moments.  They also weren't all coverage kicks because only half were fair caught.  Bama has been fortunate because they aren't returning them.  How can they?  The thing doesn't go far enough to out kick the coverage.  The issue isn't just distance, it is consistency and the fact it isn't a weapon to use for this team.  If they had a good punter, imagine how much more dominating the defense would be?  Putting them back farther and flipping the field is a great weapon to use when you know you can.  It takes the pressure off the offense somewhat and keeps the defense from having to defend short fields. 

RANDOM THOUGHTS

The Internets thinks Les Miles is stupid.  It is a Sith Lord Mind Trick....

Folks have predicted the end of Miles for years.  First it was that he couldn't last after Saban's players left.  Then it was that the SEC would pass him by and he wouldn't meet the standard.  Then it was the game management would be the end of him.  Now it is that they are good but not that good.  Don't fool yourself about LSU folks.  They are good and well deserving of the number 1 ranking.  Their defense is as good as Bama's and has been road tested well.  Their offense is not flashy or exciting, but they are like Bama and improving each week.  Jarrett Lee isn't that guy we remember any more.  Gone is the guy who couldn't control himself enough to keep from making mistakes and in his place is a confident winner.  He isn't going to win any games on his arm, but when he plays smart, they can win on his decision making now.  Did you think that was possible 3 years ago?  I didn't.  For all the "neaner neaner" that comes with fandom, the reality is that Miles is a master at distraction.  He wants you to think and talk about him and his quirks and quotes.  I love me some Les Miles quotes just as much as anyone.  However, he isn't as dumb as folks think.  He's crazy, but crazy has been known to win.  So, when you are going around telling folks you don't think much of LSU, beware.  You are falling into the trap that Miles sets up year after year. 

Clemson is overrated

They beat Auburn and Florida State.  Auburn is in rebuild mode and has survived on luck.  Their luck ran out when they went to Death Valley.  Florida State was overrated all year.  They gave OU a run for their money, but they aren't ready for primetime.  Clemson goes to Va Tech this week.  Don't be surprised if you don't see them fall back to earth Saturday.  Dabo has coached well in the 2 games, for the most part, but this is still the team that had to play 3 quarters to remove Wofford from the game.  The Clempson faithful will try to talk up their team, and they have a right and resume (sorta) to do that.  However, this is another one of your Daddy's Clempson Tigers that underachieve in the end.  Now, if you want to see a team in the ACC that isn't overrated, visit GA Tech.  They aren't a BCS contender and they weren't talked about being one, but they are good enough to beat most on their schedule.

The potential loss of Mosley will not be as big an impact as some think

The Tide has to find CJ's replacement fast because this is a week they needed him most.  However, I don't buy into the impact that some have said.  Bama has played so much dime and nickel  this year that a few adjustments in schemes will cover his loss fairly well.  I don't think they intend or want to move Hightower back to replace CJ, but they can and put Hubbard/Stinson in his place.  When they play as much dime as they do, they can slide Barron up and ask him to fill that role.  DePriest and Hubbard both looked suitable in short duty replacing him.  Harris did fill in the role as well, and looked ok, but his track record scares me with the better half of the schedule coming up.  If it was Barron or Hightower, I would probably worry a lot more.  The bottom line is that Bama has a lot of options to work with to replace Mosley if needed, so it will be interesting to see if they experiment or just move a player over for his role in the passing situations.