Alabama's A-Day had a Throwback Feel, Which is What This Team Needed
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — UAB might have won this game, or Troy, if Alabama football had scheduled an in-state opponent for A-Day as some have suggested.
Ok, not really. But chances are if you were at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon the Crimson Tide left you wanting more, or at least a little unsatisfied. Even though the teams combined to score 51 points, which can be a lot for a spring scrimmage as the Crimson side pulled out the annual steakfest 30-21, the lack of offensive continuity was glaring.
That's fine. Sure, it would have been nice to see some more electric, game-breaking plays and a few newcomers racing up and down the field like they were ready to take on the SEC singlehandedly. But watching sprints really wasn't the point of spring practices this year.
Take a step back and consider the Crimson Tide's roster turnover from the end of the 2022 season. Alabama might tie or set a program record for most selections in the NFL draft next week, and nearly everyone in the signing Class of 2023 enrolled early. Add in the departing transfers and you're talking about more than half the roster has been in transition.
So there were a lot of new faces in uniform, and wearing headsets along the sideline with the Crimson Tide having numerous new coaches including both coordinators. Granted, one of them had the job once before, however it's been 15 years since we last saw Kevin Steele wearing the script A. It's still going to take some time getting used to him being back.
Additionally, among the returning starters only a handful were on display Saturday. Between players sitting out and those who opted to get a head start on their departures during the second transfer period (April 15-30), Alabama probably had as many returning starters with the specialists, kicker Will Reichard and punter James Burnip, as either the first-team offense or defense.
In a way, that's what the 58,000 fans on hand hoped to see, something different, especially after the way last season ended. When Alabama doesn't win the national championship there's often a sense of going back to drawing board and tweaking what didn't work before. With a two-year drought there's a sense that Saban needs to get a new drawing board.
This wasn't it. Alabama won the SEC title in 2021 and might have been a non-injury away from claiming back-to-back national titles. As for last year, it was arguably a play away from returning to the College Football Playoff, and who knows what might have happened?
Remember, Alabama only need to miss out on a three-peat in 2013 for Saban to bring in Lane Kiffin as offensive coordinator. He'll probably never do anything so extreme again with his coaching staff, however the fine-tuning never stops.
So to expect a lot more here, on this afternoon, was really unrealistic. To use a slogan and movie title that Alabama fans are familiar with, there was some good, some bad and some ugly when it came to what was happening on the field as there's been little time to build any continuity. The real keys to the game were things few noticed.
It's spring. You want gorgeous weather, no major injuries and some guys sticking their hands in the dirt. Make that big guys. Factor in that this spring has first and foremost been about teaching, and getting everyone on the same page, and here's the line from Nick Saban's postgame press conference that jumped out:
"I like this team's toughness," Saban said." They're physical, they play hard. We don't have a bunch of guys who are soft or are looking for an easy way. They try and please the coaches, they try and play with intensity. I think we have better practice habits than we have in the past."
The places where that'll show up the most is in the trenches. So while many people may have been focussing on wide receiver Jermaine Burton's attempt at making a pass and not being able to connect with Robe Prentice, or were missing seeing ESPN announcers Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway in the backfield giving commentary, A-Day almost had throwback feel to it.
There was good attendance, but not eye-popping. The sideline featured numerous former players including Will Anderson Jr., Najee Harris and CJ Mosley. Saban ditched the salmon-colored jacket and was back in blue. The play-calling was pretty vanilla, by design, and made for TV.
Take note: Both sides only ran the ball 28 times, and many of those were due to the quarterbacks taking off, compared to 84 pass attempts. It'll be nothing like that when this Crimson Tide team plays for real.
"Fall is going to be crazy," defensive lineman Tim Smith said. "The offensive line is going to be amazing. All across the line from the right tackle to the left tackle, all those guys have definitely grown, especially from last spring. Especially JC Latham. Strong dude."
Try strong, massive and thick. Like redwood-tree kind of thick. And next to him is going to be sophomore Tyler Booker, who is big and plays with a mean streak. The left side has similar potential, and running behind them all will be running backs like Justice Haynes and Jam Miller in addition to Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams.
Meanwhile, Alabama is looking just as imposing on the defensive line. It may not have shown in the postgame stats, but the players are obviously excited about having guys like Jaheim Oatis after a year in the system, Smith as a senior, and defensive end Justin Eboigbe back after his neck injury. There's also some real depth along the defensive front seven.
"James Smith," Latham said about who stood out to him. "Definitely. Freshman. Just seeing how he plays.
"The guys who come from Montgomery, they play with a chip on their shoulders."
So yes, when most people talk about Alabama's 2023 A-Day, the talk will be about the quarterbacks, players like Haynes after touching the ball 15 times, and Moore because he notched three sacks.
The real cause for optimism was up front, where Alabama is getting ready to flex its muscle again.
Christopher Walsh's column regularly appears on BamaCentral.
