The Extra Point: Why Has Alabama Struggled on the Road?
Over the last couple of road games for Alabama, the Crimson Tide have looked vulnerable, with many close calls and bad performances leading to some questions being asked about why the once dominating Tide have had some cracks in their armor.
The biggest reason as to why the Tide have struggled on the road this season is due to the offensive line struggles. With a group that is rather experienced, Alabama has not been able to dominate the trenches as expected, with the exception being the game against Texas A&M.
The line has struggled with communication, and that issue becomes massive when you have over 100,000 people screaming inside a stadium. To put a positive note on the line, there was some improvement last week against A&M, as perhaps new line coach Eric Wolford just needed some time to get the line going again.
While the line has certainty had some questions, another factor that goes into the road struggles for Alabama is the fact that they have committed too many costly penalties. In their first road game of the season against Texas, Alabama committed 15 penalties for 100 yards, with some of those being drive saving for the Longhorns.
Alabama committed 10 penalties against Arkansas in the last road game, for 101 yards. In those two games, Alabama has covered the field in penalty yards, and when a trip to a ruckus Knoxville comes, Alabama cannot afford to do that and expect to win.
With the Tide traveling to Knoxville to take on Tennessee, the Tide look to make amends for all the finger nails that have been bitten off throughout the fanbase over the course of the road games this season.
