Behind Enemy Lines: Even In "Down" Year Alabama Trounces Razorbacks

Alabama and Arkansas operate under different standards in terms of talent

Author:
Daniel Shi
Publish date:
Oct 14, 2023 12:33 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Alabama has a clear standard of excellence. So much so that without a clear first-round pick on the roster, this is classified as one of Nick Saban's less talented rosters. Despite this Alabama opens as a 19.5-point favorite according to Draftkings. For this week's Behind Enemy Lines, I sat down with BamaCentral's Katie Windham to preview the Razorbacks against the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa this week.

Daniel Shi: The main topic of conversation both locally and nationally is Alabama's quarterback situation. Overall thoughts on Milroe's game against Texas A&M?

Katie Windham: It was definitely his best game passing ... Saban was asked about it this week. Did you throw the ball because you couldn't run the ball or because Texas A&M was challenging y'all to throw? He said it was a little bit of both. Alabama's offensive line has struggled all year. Alabama couldn't really run the ball on Saturday. And so they had to turn to Jalen Milroe. I think a lot of people, a lot of Alabama fans even thought if the game came down to having to win with his arm that (he) might not be able to do it, especially on the road in front of a really loud crowd, but he was able to do it. He did have the one interception, but overall, he made much better decisions. He made some throws that we haven't seen him make this year and he also continued to hit the deep ball like we have seen him do this year and it's been a strength for him ... He did get sacked I think five times, which a lot of them were on him. That's an area he's got to improve, but it was by far his best passing game.

DS: Six weeks into the season, do you think that going through the whole circus at quarterback starting and trying three different guys ended up being a blessing in disguise for Milroe?

KW: I think maybe for him, it ended up being the best thing. I don't knowfor the team overall because you look at the past two weeks, the road game at Mississippi State and now they don't go on the road again until mid-November ... Your first road game was at USF. There were a lot of Alabama fans there. That's not a Power 5 team. It wasn't like a hostile road environment. The offensive line has struggled with pre-snap penalties and communication between Milroe and Seth McLaughlin at center. So to me, it would have made the most sense for him to play that game in a non-tough road environment, maybe work out some kinks and figure some things out, but he didn't play at all in that game. He definitely has responded well to getting benched, giving other quarterbacks an opportunity. I think any Alabama fans that were questioning whether Milroe should be the guy after the Texas game where he did struggle. He did have the two pretty costly interceptions against the Longhorns. I think after that USF game, they realized that he's the best option that they have, especially for the pieces they have around him on offense that Milroe gives this team the best chance to win. It's just because of the quarterbacks, the streak of quarterbacks that Alabama has been on the last couple of years with four guys that are currently starters. Who knows how much longer Mac Jones will be one, but you're coming off four phenomenal quarterbacks and there’s just no one on your roster at this point is at that level and probably won't be at all this season. So there was going to be some sort of drop-off. But right now, Milroe is the guy that gives them the best chance to win and just puts them in a really good position where, if you look at the way their schedule unfolds the next couple of weeks, it's pretty favorable because their toughest games left are at home.

DS: What is the biggest symptom [of the Alabama O-Line] that's causing a pretty talented back like Jase McClellan to constantly come up with like 30-40 yards?

KW: I think at halftime against Mississippi State they had 157 rushing yards or something in that range and then they had 30 rushing yards in the second half. McClellan is the guy that's had more success out of any of the running backs. A lot of it is that the offensive line is not opening the holes for them and doing the things that they need to do in order for Alabama to have a successful running game. It was really interesting the last 2 two weeks have been polar opposites where at Mississippi State they did not throw the ball (and) pretty much ran it the whole time. I think Milroe only had 12 passing attempts. Then last week they basically completely shut off the run game and only threw the ball. They have shown at times that they can run the ball. Against good defensive lines, have they been able to do it? Not necessarily, but it's interesting because in the off-season, back in spring camp and throughout fall camp, Nick Saban said multiple times that running backs is the group, that he had the most confidence in … And really this year. Alabama's basically just used McClellan and Roydell Williams. We've seen very little of Jam Miller, the sophomore, and even less of highly talented freshman running back Justice Haynes. And then basically none of the other freshman, running back Richard Young. So they have a deep running back room. It was something that was Alabama. The offensive line players talked in fall camp too. They wanted to be a run-first team. They wanted to run the ball down people's throats. So far they have not lived up to that hype.

DS: Is it also similar to Milroe that Alabama's line has been very good for a very long time that maybe perhaps this year the raw talent isn't there?

KW: I mean, I think that's definitely part of it. I think you have two NFL guys in JC Latham at right tackle and Tyler Booker at left guard. I think Kaydn Proctor, the freshman who started at left tackle is probably going to be there one day. Right now, he's not there yet. It is difficult to throw a true freshman into the position of left tackle. You're throwing them to the wolves and that's why Alabama hasn't had a freshman started at left tackle since I think 2013 … That is a good point, though. If you look back at that 2020 offensive line Alabama had last time they won the national championship, it was phenomenal. I think I'm pretty sure they won the Joe Moore Award that year for the best offensive line in the country. In the last couple of years. It has just not been as stacked of an offensive line as maybe we've seen under Nick Saban … But this year's group is not, and really the offense as a whole. If you look at Alabama on offense right now, maybe Jermaine Burton in the last couple of weeks is stepping up and going to get there, but it's hard to find a skill guy on Alabama, which this sounds like a spoiled Alabama problem, but that's going to be a first-round draft pick when that's something you're used to for the last couple of years or maybe even a top 3 round draft pick. Alabama talent-wise on offense right now is maybe not where it's been the last couple of years. Just to clarify, Arkansas fans shouldn’t be pitying Saban or Alabama for their lack of talent. They're still a Top 3 recruiting class every year. There's still a lot of talent everywhere, but it's just maybe not translating as well as it has in past years.

DS: Jermaine Burton, you've mentioned him. Nearly 200 yards last week. Is that the receiver that they've been looking for to take advantage of Milroe's strengths as best they can?

KW: I think so. They're two guys whose skill sets match up well together. Burton likes to go after the deep ball and Milroe likes to throw it. Maybe coming into the year, people would have thought that Ja'Corey Brooks would be Alabama's leading receiver, and coming into the season, he had to sit out the first half of the first game because of an internal suspension. His season has just never really gotten going. He has two catches all season at the halfway point of the year. I think Jermaine Burton, when they brought him in from Georgia last season, that was the hope that he was going to be one of those guys for Bryce Young that could really open up the offense. He started clicking finally late in the season last year. I think he had a big game against Ole Miss and Week 10 and then had a 100-yard receiving game the next week against Austin Peay and had a pretty good Iron Bowl. This season, over the last couple weeks, he’s finally starting to click that maybe he's that number one receiver for Alabama that they need and matches up well with what Milroe can do.

DS: Earlier, we talked about Saban being adamant about running the ball. Any ideas on how that translates against the Arkansas front?

KW: I would think Alabama this week is going to try and get back to establishing the run game a little more since they basically had to turn away from it last week. You're also at home where the offensive line is not having to deal with crowd noise. I'm going to be interested to see if Roberts is back at right guard or if Darrian Dalcourt returns from whatever injury has been nagging him. Of the offensive players we’ve talked to all season … They talk during the week about how the balance helps each other when the passing game does good, it opens up things in the run game and when the run and vice versa. When the run game does well, it opens up things in the passing game. Against Arkansas this week, they will try and run the ball a little bit more. Saban was asked a couple of weeks ago if Alabama was going to try and use their other running backs a little bit more, and he said yes, and then it still didn't happen so it's hard to know. It's also a first-year offensive coordinator with Tommy Rees. I think he's trying to implement his system and what he wants to do with maybe not necessarily the personnel or the quarterback he would want to, I think we have seen a little bit more integration of the tight ends with Rees than Alabama's had the last couple of years. I do think that Alabama is going to try and get back to running the ball a little bit more. We saw two weeks ago at Mississippi State, more design runs for Milroe. Not as many last week, but maybe we'll see a little more design runs thrown in there for him as well, alongside what they want to do with the running backs.

DS: To the Alabama defense, given the struggles of the Arkansas offensive lines, what kind of pressure can we expect from this Alabama front?

KW: Alabama has really been ramping up the pressure lately and having success doing it. It took him a little while against A&M to finally converge with the sacks, but they were getting a lot of pressure on Max Johnson early. That was causing him to maybe make throws earlier than he wanted … Really, since that Texas game where they did not have any sacks, they've really been able to have a lot more success in that area. I think we'll see more of that on Saturday. I'm pretty sure when I looked earlier in the week, Alabama is worst in the SEC in sacks allowed and Arkansas was right behind them, so it may be a sack-heavy game this weekend. If you like offensive line play, maybe not the game for you. If you like defensive line play, maybe it is the game for you this weekend.

DS: (Linebacker) Dallas Turner has been really effective with nine tackles for loss. Arkansas gave up 15 tackles for loss, which is their most in 20+ years against A&M. They had six or seven more against Ole Miss. What impact does he have?

KW: He's a guy that was pretty pissed off after the Texas game and what happened and the lack of pressure he was able to get. He's really been on a tear since … He's been a guy who's been on a mission lately and has been able to really effectively get after the quarterback. I expect the same this weekend, even though the players talked about it a little bit this week. KJ Jefferson, I feel like is a different type of quarterback. He is maybe a little bit harder to get down, even though, I guess, based on the stats and some of Arkansas's performances this year, maybe he hasn't been as difficult, but I think his size presents challenges. His running ability is different than some of the other quarterbacks Alabama's faced up until this point.

DS: Overall thoughts on Alabama special teams and how that unit is doing as a whole.

KW: Me and Austin, my co-worker, did a report card for Alabama's position groups so far this season. I almost gave special teams an A+, but gave them an A because of some of the things that have happened really on kickoff or punt returns and coverage, but the actual specialists themselves have been phenomenal for Alabama. Will Reichard has been about as automatic as you can be as a kicker. He came back for his fifth year unexpectedly and he's ol’ reliable, which is one thing that has not been the case under Nick Saban and Alabama. Some of their best teams have not had good kickers. I'm pretty sure in 2019, Alabama lost to Clemson in the national championship, when it was Tua versus Trevor Lawrence. That team just scored a ton of points and scored touchdowns all the time. I think Alabama missed more extra points than any team in the country that year, not field goals, extra points. It was like an adventure every time they kicked an extra point. Reichard was just automatic in that area. James Burnip, the punter, did suffer an injury against A&M last week. He's a game-time decision for Arkansas. I wouldn't be surprised If they try and rest them for another week, but he's a guy that has been so improved for this year. In his first couple of years, he was fine. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great. He wouldn't necessarily flip the field, but this year most of the time he has been able to do that, which has been huge for the offense that’s struggled a lot. He's been able to flip the field and the offense is out there basically doing nothing. He's just had some incredible punts. Last week, Alabama had the blocked kick at A&M … The special teams have been really good overall. The specialists themselves have been phenomenal for Alabama this year.

DS: This will be Saban's 200th win at Alabama [if he wins]. Given all the national media speculation and all that stuff about his future, how has it been just interacting with him on a week-to-week basis?

KW: This has definitely been an interesting year. There are always all sorts of rumors flying around Tuscaloosa about how much longer he's going to coach. There are people saying the week after Texas that this was going to be his last year. You hear if he wins a championship it might be his last year, but I think he’ll still coach for a little bit longer. At the beginning of the year of this season and fall camp, the whole thing happened where he didn't release the depth chart and he said it's because the players might get upset. They might not practice as hard if they see whether they are first or second string and then it's like, well, what control do you have over your program if they're really getting that upset over something like that? A couple of weeks into the season, he did the whole this is a Coke bottle not a crystal ball thing to my co-worker. He apologized somewhat to him the next week. It's been an interesting year with Saban on the beat. I think a lot was made about at Mississippi State when he got back into yelling at them a lot, ripping off the headset, throwing it. Getting back on the players a little bit. He said after the game his wife, Ms. Terry, told him that if they weren't playing well, he needed to get on their butts a little bit. Then he went back it seemed a little bit softer this past week. I didn't realize that this was going to be his 200th win You know, he’s been coaching as long as he has been as successful as he is for a reason. He knows when to push the right buttons. I think a lot of times, even people that have been around the program, but not inside the program people like us that are on the beat could think certain things, but I think he knows what he's doing. He knows maybe when to push and when to back off… ESPN’s Chris Lowe talked about where Alabama is at right now. They're in a pretty good position in the SEC West with wins over Ole Miss and A&M already. Like I already said, their toughest games left are really at home. Lowe's talked about how this could be one of Saban's best coaching jobs ever with the way this season started, and all the uncertainty there was at quarterback. If he can get this team fully ride around and back to Atlanta, it would be a pretty big accomplishment.