Bryce Young's Performance Against Vanderbilt Shows True Potential of Alabama's Offense
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After Alabama quarterback Bryce Young's six-touchdown performance against Utah State in the Crimson Tide's season opener, it seemed like any worries of a potential Heisman Trophy hangover for the junior had been swept clear from the minds of fans.
That was before the games at Texas and against Louisiana-Monroe.
Against the Longhorns and the Warhawks, Young was far from perfect. At Texas, he threw for just 213 yards and one touchdown. Against ULM, it was much the same with 236 yards and not one, but two interceptions.
Growing concern for Alabama's offense was growing slowly but surely among Crimson Tide fans. However, Saturday's 55-3 shellacking of Vanderbilt in Alabama's SEC opener is sure to go a long way in helping put those same fans' minds at ease.
On the night, Young complete 25-of-36 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns, finishing the game with a quarterback rating of 195.9. In total, Young completed passes to 12 different receivers and averaged 13.3 yards per completion.
In short, it was a really solid night for Alabama's offense.
"I think we took a big step as a unit," Young said after the game. "Whenever we're able to put up numbers as a collective, it's always good but it's one step. I think there's stuff that we may not have gotten to in the previous weeks that we were able to take advantage of now, but you're only as good as your last one. So we have a 24-hour rule, we're going to enjoy this one.
"There's still a lot of stuff I can improve on [and] we can improve on as a unit, so it's about how we try to carry that momentum, improve on what we can and keep us ready for next week."
Young's 385 passing yards marked the third-best single-game performance of his career. His best performance was 559 yards during last year's victory against Arkansas (who Alabama plays once again next week), and his second being his 421 yards in last year's SEC Championship Game win over Georgia.
One expression was repeated by Young and head coach Nick Saban multiple times following the Crimson Tide's win over the Commodores: "taking what the defense gives." According to both Alabama's quarterback and its head coach, adjusting on the fly to Vanderbilt's defense was a key factor in why the Crimson Tide's offense was so effective.
On the night, Alabama ran a total of 43 passing plays compared to 34 rushing plays — a relatively balanced attack. Of the Crimson Tide's whopping 628 yards of offense, 400 were passing yards and the remaining 228 came on the ground.
Saban was the first to note that his offense reacts to its opponents' defense rather than him or offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien simply calling plays to try and be balanced.
"I feel like we take what the defense gives," Saban said. "We don't just call running plays. A lot of the plays that ended up being passes were called runs, aight? I'm more concerned about how we move the ball because we're going to take what the defense gives. So if they're playing 'stop the run', we're gonna throw. If they're playing split safeties and playing soft, then we've gotta be able to run it. So it's not a matter of what the stat sheet says, it's a matter of — and a lot of our plays are packaged.
"So I can't predict how many times we're gonna run it and how many times we're gonna pass it, but if we move the ball like we did in the first half [then] I'm really happy if that's the kind of balance we need to have."
There's no doubt that Alabama's has been attempting to adjust to opposing defenses all season long — it's simply how typical modern college offenses are ran. However, Saturday's game against Vanderbilt seemingly marked its most effective use by the Crimson Tide so far this season.
A few minutes later, Young was saying the same expression: it's not about trying to pad stats or impress, but instead adjust to the defense to elevate the offensive unit.
"I think for us it's just trying to be the best version of ourselves," Young said. "Whenever you're able to perform and put together a good performance, you get confidence, it's something for you to build off of, it's good to feel it to know what we're capable of, what we can do and it's just now moving forward to make sure we can put it together consistently. Tonight, that was just what it called for. Maybe the passing game, maybe the running game.
"We take pride in being balanced, taking what the defense gives so it's always good. You get confidence when you have good performances, but we don't know what it's going to look like next week moving forward, so whatever is best for the unit is what we're going to pride ourselves in."
Bryce Young vs. Vanderbilt
Next week, Alabama travels to Arkansas for its first SEC West opponent of the season. While the Razorbacks fell to the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday to mark their first loss of the season, Arkansas is arguably the toughest opponent and defense that the Crimson Tide has had to face yet.
Couple that with the hostile environment that is Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, and Alabama could have a problem on its hands.
Young and the Crimson Tide are currently starting their 24-hour rule of celebration before getting back to work on Monday in preparation for the Razorbacks. While last week's emphasis was consistency in preparation (and will no doubt also be a constant focus this coming week as well), maintaining that adaptability on offense and continuing to build off of its successes will be key for the Crimson Tide's offense.
Alabama might have trounced Vanderbilt, but there's still a lot of football left to be played. However, if Young and the Crimson Tide play like they did against the Commodores, there could be a lot of exciting things in this team's near future.
And it all starts with taking what the defense gives them.
"For us, we pride ourselves in being able to take what the defense gives us," Young said. "So that was just that drive and some other times throughout the game, that was just what the defense was giving us and it's my job to try and read that, so it was just a part of it."
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