Alabama Football Knows It Must Limit Penalties Moving Forward

The Crimson Tide had 14 penalties for 99 yards on Saturday against Texas A&M.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In its games against Texas, Tennessee and LSU last season, the Alabama Crimson Tide had a combined 41 penalties.

The Crimson Tide had 10 penalties in its Week 2 loss to Texas. Alabama had 14 more in its road victory at Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon.

Through its first six games of 2023-24, the 11th-ranked Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) is averaging over seven flags per game. In order to accomplish its goals, Alabama is going to have to clean it up.

"Well, we had nine pre-snap penalties in the game," head coach Nick Saban said. "And I think a lot of those were created by the fact that we had trouble clapping in the game because of the noise. So we went on silent. And when we went on silent, the guard taps the center. And as soon as the guard taps the center, they stem and move the front, which is not illegal. It's perfectly a good thing for them to do on their part."

"We had numerous times where guys flinched because when you go on silent, there is no snap count. One of the advantages of playing offense is you know what the snap count is. So you know when you get off the ball. Well, when it's so noisy [and] you have to go on silent, you lose that advantage. If we're gonna do that in the future, we obviously need to practice it more so our players don't get spooked by a moving defense."

Quarterback Jalen Milroe took it upon himself.

"For us to move forward, we have to limit penalties," Milroe said. "That's very key. We have to get better in that regard. [...] I need to do a better job of being loud, being vocal. [...] I take full ownership of that. Moving forward, I'm going to get together with the guys to ensure that everyone is on the same page before the ball is snapped."

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