Mixed Results for Alabama Football in 2023 A-Day Game
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A-Day isn’t about the final score. A-Day isn’t for making brash observations.
A-Day is a benchmark for where the team stands in mid-April.
On Saturday, “Crimson” defeated “White” 30-21 in front of 58,710 fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It was the largest crowd for the spring game in quite some time — and the fans were both treated and tortured by the results on the field.
“All in all, I think we had a good spring,” head coach Nick Saban said. “I really like the spirit and energy of this team. I think that everybody in spring practice probably gets tired of competing against each other at some point in time but it was good to go out and play in front of a crowd today. I think that energized players to some degree.”
The biggest storyline heading into Saturday was the quarterback battle between Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Both struggled — Milroe completing 51% of his passes while Simpson completed just 46% of his. Simpson got the win, but Milroe’s complete game was probably better. Neither were as good as freshman Dylan Lonergan, who threw for 79 yards and a touchdown on 8-for-14 passing.
None of the quarterbacks were helped out much. There were at least a dozen drops by pass catchers.
“You’ve got to eliminate some of the negative plays, which would be interceptions, which would be turning the ball over, which would be dropping balls — which we had too many of today,” Saban said. “Those kinds of things are what get you beat. That’s what we want to eliminate.”
The product on the field was nowhere near what it will be come September. There were a combined four turnovers and 12 sacks. Simpson and Eli Holstein both threw an interception — Milroe threw two. The offensive line struggled to contain a strong pass rush — despite Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell missing the game with injuries.
“Obviously we had a lot of young guys out there,” Saban said. “But I think the experience they gained throughout this spring was invaluable and will certainly help us in several positions on our team.”
From now until September, there will be players exiting and joining programs all across the country. Saban isn’t ruling anything out for his team either — welcoming anyone who would help contribute.
“We try to build this program here with the guys we recruit and the people in the program but we have had a few guys who have come in and made real impacts on the team,” Saban said. “If we see an opportunity to do that, we’re always looking for a way to make our team better.”
Malachi Moore had his name called several times on the blitz and he took advantage, picking up three sacks and a quarterback hurry. He was named the A-Day MVP.
Freshman running back Justice Haynes has been garnering plenty of attention all spring for good reason. Haynes had 64 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns — establishing himself as a potential breakout player in 2023-24.
“Justice is a really good player,” Saban said. “He’s got great maturity about him. […] Nothing is too big for him in terms of learning, going out and executing. He’s not intimidated by anything.”
Jase McClellan ran well in limited time as well — picking up 37 yards on seven carries.
On the final drive of the game, wide receiver Malik Benson made a name for himself. He finished the game as the leading receiver — hauling in five passes for 70 yards and a score.
“I like this team,” Saban said. “I look forward to this team. Are there things we need to do better? No doubt. We’ll focus on those things and work to improve so that they’re not issues for us in the fall. But this was a good test I think.”
Both teams struggled mightily on third down — going a combined 6-for-29 in those situations.
There is a lot of work to be done between now and Alabama’s season-opener against Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 2.
For now, it’s steak and potatoes for some — and beans for others.
