Just A Minute: 5 Keys to Alabama's Final Fall Scrimmage
Consistency and continuity.
Those are the key words for the Alabama football team as it heads into its second, and final, scrimmage on Saturday.
Like usual, the scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium will be closed to media, as the Crimson Tide hones in on preparing for the start of the regular season.
At this point, it's what the coaches are looking for most of all, as this is sort of the final dress rehearsal before taking on Miami in Atlanta on Sept. 4.
"Who can go out and execute?" head coach Nick Saban said. "We’re going to call a play on offense, who can go get in a formation? We want to go fast, you know what you’re doing, you can be responsible to do your job on a consistent basis and you can be trusted and counted on by your teammates to be able to do that. If we’ve got to tell a guy what to do and he doesn’t know what to do then he’s got a ways to go and we’re going to keep working with them to try to get them there.
"I think that’s the number one thing, how many guys can actually go out there and have the confidence and maturity to execute and do their job on a consistent basis and do it with effort, do it with toughness and sustain it regardless of the circumstances in the game and regardless of what happened on the last play."
With that in mind, here a five things we're looking for as well.
1] Offensive continuity
Alabama had six consensus All-Americans last season, five of whom were on offense. They're arguably the most important positions as well: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, left tackle and center.
There's a lot of timing that has to be worked out with all of those spots.
Moreover, in addition to having Bryce Young take over, the entire unit has a new coordinator in Bill O'Brien.
Executing at a high level is the primary aim, but one also has to wonder what new wrinkles the offense will have this season.
2] Defensive continuity
Just like the offense has a new quarterback, the defense now does as well and transfer Henry To'oTo'o will be relaying signals from the sideline and calling out adjustments. That's tough enough for someone who's been it the system for a couple of years, but was with another team.
The good news is that To'oTo'o is surrounded by returning starters, so they can help check the calls, but this too takes time and repetition to develop the necessary confidence.
3] Right tackle
Kendall Randolph is going to play, that part of the equation is certain. In what capacity is the real question.
Randolph has primarily played at right tackle during fall camp, but was at left tackle during last week's scrimmage as Evan Neal was sidelined. The takeaway from that is J.C. Latham is ahead of the backup left tackle, so Randolph is the the first alternative there.
His versatility is a real asset, as Randolph can play just about anywhere on the line. So the player to watch is actually Latham.
4] Running backs
With Trey Sanders looking healthy again, Alabama still has an embarrassment of riches at the position even after a couple of offseason departures. Of course there's only one ball to go around between Brian Robinson Jr., Sanders, Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams and true freshman Camar Wheaton.
Not only do the coaches have to establish a pecking order behind Robinson, who has earned the right to start, but everyone's roles and responsibilities. For example, someone could be pegged as a primary third-down option, goal-line back or wheel-route option.
The expectation here is that all five will get significant playing time this season.
5] New wide receivers
Note the word new instead of freshmen. Transfer Jameson Williams has already turned heads with his speed, and already knows what it's like to play in a big-time program.
There's also the fab four of Jacorey Brooks, Christian Leary, Agiye Hall and JoJo Earle. Most coaches don't want to overload freshmen by learning multiple spots their first season, so it would be surprising to see Leary and Earle line up outside of the slot.
With Xavier Williams out for the season, this group makes up half of the receiving corps. They're already pushing the likes of Thaiu Jones-Bell, Traeshon Holden and Javon Baker, never mind that coaches are looking for a starter alongside John Metchie III and Slade Bolden.
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