Western Kentucky vs. Alabama: Game Grades, Analysis for Tide

Alabama improved to 2-0 on Saturday with a 38-10 home win over Western Kentucky. The Crimson Tide's defense put together a strong performance while true freshman Jalen Hurts took big strides in the quarterback battle. You can find the full box score here. 

Caleb Turrentine is a contributor at Bleacher Report. He also works as a columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. 

Pass Offense

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

B+: The passing game was definitely the best part of the Tide's offense on Saturday afternoon. Jalen Hurts finished the day with 287 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 23 of his 36 passes. He could have gone for even more if his receivers did not drop two would-be touchdown passes. Redshirt freshman Blake Barnett played the end of the first half and completed two of his six pass attempts for 64 yards. Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart were the main targets in the passing game, combining for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Bowling Green transfer Gehrig Dieter added two receptions for 56 yards.

The only problems the Tide faced in the passing game was at the line of scrimmage. Hurts was sacked twice and hurried five times. There were also a couple of missed throws that could have gone for big plays, but for the most part, the Tide's biggest success of the day was through the air. 

Run Offense

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

C+: The rushing game could never get going on Saturday, and it had a lot to do with what was going on at the line of scrimmage. The Crimson Tide's offensive line was being beat consistently. Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough combined for just 64 yards on 16 carries. B.J. Emmons was the highlight of the rushing attack, finishing with 41 yards and a touchdown on his six carries. Scarbrough also scored a touchdown in the game. Alabama finished with 124 yards on the ground on 39 attempts, which comes out to just 3.2 yards per carry. Western Kentucky's defense played to stop the run, which opened up the passing game. However, the coaching staff will likely want to see major improvement by the offensive line and runners in future games. 

Pass Defense

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

A-: Eddie Jackson's interception for a touchdown was one of the biggest highlights from the game, but it was not just the senior safety who was making plays in the secondary. Five different Alabama players registered a pass breakup, and Ronnie Harrison added an interception of his own. The Crimson Tide held the nation's top passer from Week 1,Western Kentucky's Mike White, to just 135 passing yards with just a 42 percent completion percentage. The Tide also used a big pass rush that led to four sacks.

The secondary gave up one big play on a Western Kentucky flea-flicker and dropped two interceptions. The backups allowed the first touchdown for a Tide opponent this season, and Western Kentucky's star receiver Taywan Taylor still finished with 121 yards on nine receptions. 

Run Defense

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

A: Alabama allowed 23 rushing yards on 22 rushing attempts. That's pretty good. The stats may be a little swayed by the four Crimson Tide sacks, but the Tide's defensive front was once again the strength of the team. Western Kentucky running back Anthony Wales had one run for 16 yards but only had a combined 28 yards on his other 10 carries. The Crimson Tide constantly forced the Hilltoppers into passing situations, keeping the visitors as a one-dimensional and predictable offense.

Special Teams

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

B+: The special teams had a strong day behind Jonathan Allen's blocked field goal and J.K. Scott's 47-yard punt average. Adam Griffith went 1-of-2 on his field goals, missing on a 48-yard attempt in the first quarter. Trevon Diggs showed some good moves and had a decent night returning kicks, averaging 21 yards per kick return and eight yards per punt return. Minkah Fitzpatrick forced a fumble on the game's opening kickoff. 

Coaching

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

C: I'm not one to disagree with the coach, and he had some interesting things to say about Saturday's game. 

"I'm almost embarrassed that I didn't do a better job for our team," Coach Nick Saban said in his postgame press conference. 

Saban will always be the biggest critic for himself and his team, but he may not be that wrong about the home opener. The Crimson Tide racked up 12 penalties for 85 yards. Many of those penalties came on offense and forced Alabama into long yardage situations. In the third quarter, a delay of game cost Adam Griffith a field-goal opportunity and forced the Tide to punt.

Jalen Hurts was obviously the correct choice to start on Saturday, but if the coaching staff is sure, why did Blake Barnett enter the game at all? The first half was slow for the Tide's offense, but inconsistency at the quarterback position was not going to help.