Florida Atlantic vs. Alabama: Game Grades, Analysis for Crimson Tide

Alabama Football did exactly what everyone expected against Florida Atlantic: blow the Owls out.  From start to weather-induced early finish, the Crimson Tide did exactly what they needed to guarantee a win, jumping out to a first quarter 21-0 lead.

There were several questions we needed answered after last week's not-so-impressive win over West Virginia.  Did we get the answers we needed?

Let's find out in our Week 2 report card for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Box score via NCAA.com

Position	First Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B+	A-
Run Offense	B+	B+
Pass Defense	Inc.	A-
Run Defense	Inc.	A-
Special Teams	B+	A-
Coaching	A-	A-

Pass Offense

There was quite a bit of excitement and anticipation to see Florida State transfer quarterback Jake Coker in his first game in Tuscaloosa.  Blake Sims got the start and was very efficient, finishing with 214 yards and two touchdowns while completing 11 of his 13 passes.

When Coker did make his way into the game, his performance was less than impressive.  He wasn't necessarily bad, but there were a lot of poor decisions made—especially early—that led to field goals instead of touchdowns.

One particularly bad decision ended the first half inside the 10-yard line with no points for the Tide.

Moving forward, Sims looks to be the starter without question, but both quarterbacks played well enough to earn the pass offense an "A-" for the day.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Wide receiver Amari Cooper also helped, tying an Alabama single-game record with 13 receptions on the day (189 YDS, TD).

Run Offense

We're going to give the Alabama running game a solid "B+" for a very solid performance against Florida Atlantic, but with 204 rushing yards and two scores coming on the ground, why isn't the grade higher?

First of all, Alabama didn't have a single rusher that stood out.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but as the Tide move into the meat of their SEC schedule, they'll need the superstar quality they've come to rely on in the backfield.

Secondly, no rusher had more than 45 yards.  When you have six guys with more than 20 yards, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but still we were hoping for something a little more.

All in all, however, the Tide should be pleased with a "B+" performance.

Pass Defense

We didn't see a whole lot from FAU's passing game early on, and when we did, it involved a lot of bad throws and dropped balls.  It's hard to judge that, so we gave Alabama's pass defense an "incomplete" for the first half.

We wanted to see more in the second half, and we did.  Alabama's secondary seemed more aggressive, going after the ball in the air, and almost coming away with a couple of picks.

The Tide held the Owls to just 88 passing yards—we'll give Alabama an "A-" for that.  The only reason it's not a straight "A" is due to FAU helping out the Tide with some really awful passing decisions and drops from the wideouts.

Run Defense

Like the pass defense, we wanted to see more from the front seven before we committed to anything.  By halftime, the Owls' offense had spent most of the day on the sideline, and it was increasingly difficult to judge how well the Alabama defense was containing the run.

FAU did bust a few decent runs, including a long of 31 yards from Jay Warren.  Still, the Tide ended up holding the Owls to just 55 rushing yards, and only Warren had more than 11 yards on the day.

Thanks to those big runs, we downgraded an otherwise outstanding day for the run defense from an "A" to an "A-."  Still, it is very promising moving forward.

Special Teams

Cyrus Jones returned one punt for 70 yards—but then Christion Jones returned three punts for a grand total of five yards.

Adam Griffith was 2-of-2 on field goals—with a long of 28 yards—and 5-of-5 on extra points).

Alabama didn't even bother to punt once.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

All that equals a very solid day for the special teams.  Had it not been for Jones' big return late in the game, we would have settled for a "B+."  But we just can't ignore a 70-yard burst, so the extra credit gives the Tide special teams an "A-" for the day.

Coaching

Is Nick Saban ever happy about anything?  Probably not.

Up 31-0 at the half, Saban was still visibly upset by a few mental errors his team made.  It's always hard to give a coaching staff led by Nick Saban anything less than an "A," but we did see a few signs of concern.

After an FAU timeout in the second half, Alabama's defense came onto the field with 12 men.  How does that happen?  Worse—how does that happen after a timeout?

These things will certainly be cleared up by Saban, likely by next week.  But we're not grading next week, we're grading today.  And today, Saban and staff get an "A-."

Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.

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