Film Room: Bryce Young's Pocket Presence
To put it simply, Bryce Young looked incredible against Mississippi State.
The junior team captain led No. 6 Alabama to a very important bounce-back victory over No. 24 Mississippi State Saturday night, making multiple jaw-dropping plays in the process.
Young posted a stat line of 21-of-35 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the first half, on the way to Alabama's dominant 30-6 win over the Bulldogs.
Throughout the game, Mississippi State created a variety of pressures against Young, rushing any number of defenders from three to six and using a wide variety of coverages as well. None of this affected Young, as he showed the capability to make plays whether he calmly sat in the pocket or scrambled with his eyes downfield.
Below are some plays where Young showcased his pocket presence and used it to his advantage.
2nd and 7, 5:18 1Q
After a three-and-out on the first drive, Alabama faced a 2nd-and-7 on its own side of the field later in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide lined up with three receivers to the wide side of the field, while Mississippi State rushed four defensive linemen.
The pressure from the Bulldogs got high into the pocket on both sides, causing Young to step up. Instead of just stepping, Young ran forward multiple steps, gathering momentum, and while on the run delivered a nice pass downfield to sophomore wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks for a first down into Mississippi State territory.
Young could have tucked the ball and ran for close to a first down, but he displayed his discipline by keeping his eyes downfield to find Brooks for a much larger gain than he would have gotten if he ran.
3rd and 10, 4:12 1Q
Later on that same drive, Young showed a profound display of patience on a touchdown throw.
Mississippi State showed blitz, lining six men up on the line of scrimmage defensively, while Alabama lined up three wide receivers bunched to the left side of the field. On the snap, three of the Bulldogs' defenders at the line of scrimmage dropped into coverage, while only three rushed the passer.
Alabama's offensive line did an excellent job picking up the three rushers, giving Young ample time to sit back in the pocket and wait for one of his wide receivers to get open.
After avoiding a tackle and scrambling to his left, he locked eyes with JoJo Earle and pointed for him to change directions to the back of the end zone and dropped a perfect pass in his arms for a touchdown.
Young once again showed off the most impressive aspect of his scrambling ability, not only his elusiveness to evade would-be tacklers, but his ability to keep his eyes downfield and look for open receivers while scrambling.
3rd and 4, 8:27 2Q
Facing a third-and-medium situation near the goal line, offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien decided to put the ball in Young's hands to let him make a play.
Alabama once again lined up with three wide receivers bunched to the wide side of the field, while the Bulldogs sent pressure to try to get to Young.
Mississippi State sent six originally, but two dropped back into coverage after first engaging, leaving four defenders to go after Young. The Bulldogs' front got a decent push on the left side of Alabama's offensive line, pushing Young out to the right side of the field at a frantic pace.
As Young rolled to the right, junior wide receiver Traeshon Holden broke off his route and ran the direction of Young's rollout, finding himself wide open for the touchdown. It was an excellent job by Holden of improvising and positioning himself for the catch and an equally great job by Young of running his receiver open.
3rd and 9, 6:38 2Q
This final play doesn't show a crazy scramble from Young, but it shows his poise in the pocket nonetheless, which is equally as important.
Facing a third-and-long scenario deep in its own territory, Alabama sends the majority of its wide receivers deep while Mississippi State once again sent a four-man rush after Young.
The Crimson Tide offensive line held its ground perfectly, giving multiple seconds for Young to find a receiver. Alabama's pass-catchers took a while to get open, but that didn't bother Young. He was calm, he scanned the field and slide to his right before finding Jermaine Burton on the sideline for a completion.
While it would be ideal for Alabama's offense to have receivers that could get separation quicker, Crimson Tide fans can relax when Young drops back knowing he's going to use his elite vision and elusiveness to find the open man no matter how long it takes.
Alabama will face another talented defense in two weeks against LSU, and all eyes will once again be on Young and how he handles that pressure.
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