Alabama Crimson Tide Offense Adrift at Midseason

It’s funny how perceptions can change from the first few weeks of the college football season to the middle.  Several weeks ago some fans and even some national media personalities were praising the Alabama offense and first year starter Greg McElroy in particular.  

Now as the Tide have had to claw hammer their last two opponents into submission the Tide offense seems to be a ship without a rudder, but with one big gun on the deck.  That gun being Mark Ingram.

The first five weeks of the season QB Greg McElroy was throwing at a 65 percent clip with a yards-per-attempt of 9.1 yards.  You can add to that nine touchdowns and just one interception.  

The last two games against Ole Miss and South Carolina resulted in a 45 percent completion percentage and a 4.4 yards per attempt.  Those two games saw zero touchdown passes for the tide.

Part of the statistical drop is explainable by Alabama reaching the meat of its SEC schedule but not all of it.  Against Ole Miss “GMac” was brutalized.  He was picking himself off the turf after virtually every pass attempt.  Despite the beating he didn’t make the big mistakes and still completed some good throws. 

Against South Carolina it appears the effects of that game had lingered.  South Carolina didn’t get  as much pressure as Ole Miss but McElroy played as if he were back in Mississippi.
 
Results did not improve as the game went on.  Toward the end McElroy couldn’t hit backs reliably out of the backfield.  Desperate to give their tired defense some rest the Tide turned to Sophomore running back Mark Ingram and the wildcat offense.
 
Ingram turned in one of the most amazing performances I can remember as he ran what amounts a pee-wee football offense right into the teeth of the salty South Carolina defense and actually pulled it off putting the game away.  Ingram was so spent at the end he needed help walking back to the sideline.
   
So the Tide goes back to the drawing board with very little time to fix the problem.  Tennessee is on the way and they are desperate to get back to respectability.  Nothing fixes a heartache better than to upset the No. 2 team in the country, even better if that team name starts with "ALA" and uses an elephant for a mascot.

Mark Ingram is a great back, possibly the best in the country,  but Alabama can't rely on him completely and win in the SEC.  Nick Saban has too many weapons rusting away on the shelf.  Julio Jones was held without a catch against South Carolina, Marques Maze has been taken out of the deep game, Colin Peek isn't being utilized enough.

Greg McElroy even with the win looked frustrated as he left the field Saturday night.  He promised in a press conference after the game he would get this worked out.  The Tide's national championship hopes rest on his ability to push through this slump and restart the offensive engine that has grown cold.