Alabama Misses Jaylen Waddle's Play-Making, but Offense Aims to be Just as Efficient
He was a threat to score every time he touched the ball.
That's what Jaylen Waddle will primarily be known for at Alabama, as he had a team-high 557 receiving yards, which was fourth in Division I when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury while returning the opening kickoff at Tennessee on Oct. 24.
Waddle's speed kept defenses at bay, as the threat of his getting the ball in open field was a continual concern, plus most just kicked away from him on special teams as he led the nation in punt-return yards last season.
“It’s no different than losing Allen Iverson, a guy that scores 30-40 points a game," Nick Saban said. "He’s that kind of impact player."
Without him, Alabama still scored 48 points at Tennessee, and 41 against Mississippi State, but both times the defense scored a touchdown. Total yards were "down" against the Bulldogs, but Saban also held back and played a lot of reserves in the fourth quarter as the outcome was never in doubt.
So what can we muster about how the Alabama offense has tried to compensate for the loss of Waddle, and move forward through the rest of the season?
Consider the following:
• When Waddle got hurt he was leading the Crimson Tide in explosive plays (a pass 17 yards or more or a run 13-yards plus, per Saban) with 11, while DeVonta Smith, John Metchie III and Najee Harris were all within three of him. No one else had more than three.
• Waddle was also leading the Crimson Tide in yards after the catch, but barely. BamaCentral charted him with 253, with Smith at 244.
• Metchie III was junior quarterback Mac Jones' favorite third-down target at that point, although Waddle was the only receiver with more than one third-down touchdown.
During the game Waddle got hurt the Crimson Tide finished with exactly 417 passing yards for the third straight week, although no receiving touchdowns. With Smith stepping up against Mississippi State, which had the SEC's top-rated defense (a distinction that now belongs to Texas A&M), it finished with 291, but four passing touchdowns.
Waddle is already missed, but Alabama still has an extremely efficient offense, and that's the key word moving forward, efficient.
Alabama leads the league in passing efficiency, and the nation among teams that have played more than three games. That's going to remain the Crimson Tide's bread-and-butter.
It's going to use a lot of play-action and try and get numerous players involved in the offense and try to remain as unpredictable as possible.
There will be more of Slade Bolden, who stepped in at the slot position and had six catches for 94 yards against Tennessee, but also Harris (six receptions against MSU) and tight end Miller Forristall.
You just won't see as many 90-yard touchdowns like the one he had against Georgia, which was probably the last of his collegiate career. Opponents won't be afraid to punt to the Crimson Tide any more, either.
Foul talk
You may remember a couple of weeks ago Georgia fans complaining about preferential treatment of Alabama by officials even though the Bulldogs were shut out in the second half of a 41-24 victory.
They've quieted down since losing to Florida, but the opposite has actually been true as penalties have been a problem for the Crimson Tide this season. During its last game, Alabama had a season-high 10 penalties against Mississippi State.
"Obviously, probably the thing I am most disappointed in, was I thought we had too many penalties," Saban after the 41-0 victory. "Too many times we shot ourselves in the foot, we stopped ourselves. Taking away positive plays on a punt return or a 12-yard gain on offense and putting ourselves behind the sticks – that is something we definitely need to improve on."
Heading into this weekend, Alabama players have been flagged 44 times, the most in the Southeastern Conference. It's 97th out of 123 teams overall (although a lot of teams have played fewer games), and tied for 88th in the nation penalties per game.
It's 59th in average penalty yards per game, as most of the Crimson Tide flags have been for 5-yard infractions like false start, etc.
Going by the official game stats, 26 different players have been flagged this season, but it appears that only four have more than two: Evan Neal, Alex Leatherwood, Josh Jobe and Deonte Brown. False starts were a problem last year as well after Alabama moved Landon Dickerson from guard to center, a position he had never played before.
As for Alabama's opponents, you may remember a couple of years ago they all seemed to get far fewer flags against the Crimson Tide than against anyone else. Things seemed to have returned to normal in that statistical category.
Year, (Average), National rank
2020: (6.5) 53
2019: (6.0) 68
2018: (6.1) 65
2017: (4.4) 124
2016: (4.0) 128 - last
SEC blues
If you haven't seen Ross Dellenger's story, Road Trips, Halloween Parties and Contact Tracing: Inside the SEC's COVID Predicament it included the following about Alabama's game against LSU:
"Could the SEC play LSU-Alabama on Nov. 21 or Dec. 5? Sure, but that would mean moving other games. LSU’s games those weekends would shift to Dec. 19, and Alabama’s would shift to Dec. 12 (the Tide are one of four teams currently without a Dec. 12 game, for now).
"Sankey would not speculate on moving currently scheduled games to accommodate a matchup such as LSU and Alabama before championship weekend. But those in Baton Rouge are preparing for the possibility of playing Ole Miss or Arkansas on Dec. 19."
Did You Notice?
• Tony Barnhart wrote about Kyle Trask's unexpected rise to Heisman contention: Kyle Trask Receiving The Payoff For His Patience
• Speaking of the Heisman, Pat Forde says Race Is Coming Down to Quarterbacks, Again and it includes Mac Jones
• From AllDolphins: The seven rushes by quarterback Tua Tagovaila last week were the second-highest number of carries in a game since he arrived at Alabama. Subtracting sacks, which don't count toward rushing yards in the NFL, his career high was 10 against Georgia in the National Championship Game at the end of the 2017 season.
• Expand the College Football Playoff This Season? Nice Idea, Not Happening
Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW regularly appears on BamaCentral
