Not always exciting but consistently effective.
That was the tune of Alabama’s offense through eight games, averaging 39 points a game. By last Saturday, the machine malfunctioned.
Possessions hit a brick wall near the LSU 30-yard line in the 9-6 overtime loss to LSU. The Crimson Tide failed to score a touchdown for only the second time in Nick Saban’s five years with the program.
“When we did things correctly, we moved the ball really nicely,” Saban said. “We had over 300 yards until the last series, when we went backwards in two-minute drill. There were some good things done. I just think there were too many occasions where we didn’t do things the way they were supposed to be done, and I’m hopeful that the players will see that the importance comes in execution.”
A week worth of introspection and evaluation later, the Tide travels west to Starkville for a 7:45 p.m. response to last Saturday’s shortcomings against Mississippi State (5-4, 1-4 SEC).
Eliminating the negative plays is the first priority. LSU didn’t have the most tackles in the backfield among Alabama’s nine opponents, but all six came in critical situations.
Five came in LSU territory, and each directly led to either a punt or long missed field goal attempt.
“I mean we run a play and gain 10 yards, and 10 yards on it and then don’t line up right, and let a guy come in and tackle the ball for a loss -- after we lined up right twice,” Saban said. “So what would you take from that? Is there any lesson in that?
“Like if I do it right, this is amazing. It works.”
Tide running back Trent Richardson said minor breakdowns created major issues when possessions reached scoring territory.
“Little miscommunication or something like that, that’s what kills you in a game like this,” Richardson said. “You got two great teams going at it that are elite at what they do, both of them. And a little mistake here or there costs you the game.”
The explosive plays also disappeared. Entering the game with 45 offensive plays of 20 yards or longer, Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) managed just three against LSU with Richardson playing a hand in each -- receptions for 39 and 22 yards and a 24-yard run.
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is well aware of how dangerous Alabama can be when they find open field.
The Tide scored on touchdown plays of 45, 78 and 56 yards against the Bulldogs in a 30-10 win immediately following loss to LSU last year.
“Take those away and it’s a 10-10 game,” Mullen told reporters in Starkville. “Those are the things, when you play a team of this caliber, if you make mistakes. They’re going to capitalize on your mistakes. So you have to play a flawless game to beat them. You have to execute at the highest level … and our guys believe from watching the film of the last couple years, we’ve been in a position to make plays to beat them.”
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