Despite 2-0 Start, Alabama Needs to Quickly Find Its Identity

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Looks can sometimes be deceiving, as are scoreboards, like the one that read 37-10 at the end of Alabama’s home-opening victory against Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. 

Despite the lopsided outcome the Crimson Tide didn’t play particularly well. The offense didn’t click, the defense didn’t dominate like it had hoped, and special teams continued to have some problems.

That makes this upcoming week arguably the most important one of the season, and not just because the next opponent happens to be the team that beat Alabama during the 2014 regular season. Revenge was going to be a factor no matter when Ole Miss visited Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama has to find its identity, and fast.

Offensively, the coaching staff needs to figure out which offense it’s going to run—the one headed by senior Jake Coker or the zone-read scheme that’s better suited for sophomore Cooper Bateman.

Both played a half against the Blue Raiders with less-than-spectacular results.

“When we play games like this, I told the players that if you don’t have the right intensity and the right focus, you’re going to get exposed,” head coach Nick Saban said. “These teams that you play are all good enough to expose you if you don’t have the right focus and intensity on what you need to do to go out there and do a good job of finishing. We obviously didn’t do a good job getting that point across, because I don’t think we finished like we needed to.” 

Alabama didn’t start like it needed to, either.

With Coker playing the first half, the offense didn’t seem to know if it wanted to establish the pass or the run. He completed 15 of 26 passes for 214 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but he never got into any sort of rhythm.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Some of that had to do with his offensive line and Dominick Jackson struggling at right tackle. Even though Coker wasn’t sacked, he was repeatedly flushed, took numerous hits and couldn’t get comfortable.

Bateman completed 11 of 17 passes for 98 yards in the second half, and like Coker, he had an interception. While the senior’s errant throw was a deep attempt into double coverage that gave the Blue Raiders the ball at their own 1-yard line and eventually led to a blocked punt by Ronnie Harrison for a safety, Bateman’s should have been a pick-six.

Defensive back Jeremy Cutrer still returned it 77 yards before running back Damien Harris chased him down, and it led to Middle Tennessee’s lone touchdown.

“Both guys really need to improve,” Saban said about his quarterbacks, who combined to convert just four of 13 third-down opportunities.

Meanwhile, Alabama’s defense wants to be tenacious and relentless, yet it was neither early on. Instead, it resembled last year’s unit that was often great in the red zone but against whom offenses could otherwise move the ball.

During the first quarter Alabama was outgained 120-66 and 51-7 on the ground. It did, however, make the first two of four turnovers (three fumble recoveries and an interception).

“I really don’t think we got enough,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said.

It wasn’t until a 42-yard play-action pass to tight end O.J. Howard that Alabama was able to enjoy any sort of momentum in the second quarter. Although the drive was anything but efficient, junior running back Derrick Henry capped it with a two-yard touchdown run.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Alabama then started to squeeze the Blue Raiders, who on their subsequent possession converted a 3rd-and-10 but then saw cornerback Cyrus Jones pick off the next third-down opportunity. Senior running back Kenyan Drake subsequently hit the corner to turn a shovel pass into a 69-yard gain, and Henry walked in a one-yard touchdown for a 21-3 lead that signaled game over.

At that point the only questions were how many points would Alabama win by and how many players would get into the game. The answers were 27 and 66, respectively.

“We played better as the game went on, on defense,” Saban said. “They did a lot of things that we weren’t very well-prepared for, and we had to make a lot of adjustments during the game, but I thought the players did a really good job of that.”

Despite the continuing concerns, such as Adam Griffith missing two more field goals, there are number of things that Alabama coaches don’t have to worry about.

Henry finished with 96 rushing yards on 18 carries and scored three more touchdowns, giving him six in two games. Drake continued to be a multidimensional force with 202 all-purpose yards and a 14-yard touchdown reception from Bateman.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Alabama also went from 11 penalties a week ago to just five and got through another game without any significant injuries.

It was also a terrific dress rehearsal for the Rebels and Hugh Freeze’s rapid-fire offense. With Alabama’s defense getting better and more comfortable as the game progressed, the Crimson Tide finished with a 532-275 edge in total yards and a 220-86 advantage in rushing.

But for a team that’s playing the toughest schedule in the nation and wants to have a take-no-prisoners mentality, things are about to get a lot tougher.

“We never really seemed like we were in sync, and didn’t play like we really wanted to on offense,” Saban said. “We made some explosive plays, but there has got to be more consistency and execution.”

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.