Louisiana-Monroe vs. Alabama: Game Grades, Analysis for the Crimson Tide

Despite a rocky first half, the Alabama Crimson Tide were able to roll over the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 34-0 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

Alabama’s offense again faced its struggles as Jake Coker finished the first half 11-of-21 with 80 yards, one touchdown and one interception to give his team an unimpressive 14-0 lead. Coker and the rest of the offense was able to rebound well, though.

This contest served as a tuneup for Alabama before its faces off with Georgia next week. The Crimson Tide responded with a good, but not great, performance. Here is a look at how each unit fared Saturday afternoon. 

Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	C	C+
Run Offense	B-	C+
Pass Defense	A+	A+
Run Defense	A+	A+
Special Teams	B	B+
Coaching	C-	B-

Pass Offense

Coker threw a bad interception in the first half, which again perpetuated Alabama’s turnover problems. He looked much more comfortable in the second half and finished with 158 yards and three touchdowns for the game.

Those numbers would have been better if not for numerous drops from his receivers, including potential touchdowns from Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart. Alabama cannot afford to be so conservative through the air against Georgia, as the Bulldogs will likely stack up to defend the run.  

Run Offense 

The Crimson Tide had some success on the ground in the first half with Derrick Henry receiving the bulk of the carries. It appeared he was being held out in the second half to possibly rest for next week, but he apparently was dealing with a minor illness, according to Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News:

Alabama finished with only 139 rushing yards in the game while averaging 3.9 yards per carry. These are not very impressive numbers, but they come with an asterisk as Henry carried the ball just once in the second half. Still, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will need to find creative ways to power the football against Georgia in order to have success on offense. 

Pass Defense

Alabama’s defense was almost perfect Saturday as the Warhawks never really had a legitimate chance to put points on the board. Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Garrett Smith finished 17-of-37 for 74 yards and two picks, and the Warhawks could only muster 83 total passing yards.

Alabama freshmen Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison were strong in pass coverage. They stuck Warhawks receivers at the point of the catch and sniffed out numerous screens, including this hit from Harrison:

Harrison also picked off Smith in the second half. 

Run Defense

As stout as Alabama’s pass defense played, the run defense was even better. Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart’s unit held Louisiana-Monroe to nine total yards on 31 attempts for 0.3 yards per carry. Yes, you read that correctly. The Crimson Tide simply dominated at the line of scrimmage and made a living in the backfield. 

Special Teams

The team’s specialists were not too busy, but seven punts were probably more than Alabama hoped for coming into the game. Yet, J.K. Scott was solid after shanking his first attempt of the game. He finished the game averaging 38 yards per boot.

Kicker Adam Griffith started 2015 off horribly with a 1-of-5 mark on field goals. He nailed both of his attempts Saturday, which could indicate he is out of his slump. John Zenor of the Associated Press definitely took notice: 

Coaching

There is not a whole lot to coach when your team is vastly more talented and deeper than the opponent, but Alabama and Kiffin could have been a little better. It was obvious from the beginning that he was trying to establish a rhythm in the passing game, as Coker threw 21 passes in the first half. That strategy proved to be ineffective, and the team focused more on the run and balancing the attack with better results. Kiffin would be wise to stick with this approach next week.