Alabama Football: Grading Their Demolition of Arkansas Razorbacks

There were lots of good and lots of bad coming from Alabama's first game in the SEC schedule against a great opponent, Arkansas. The Razorbacks proved that they deserved the ranking they had coming into the game, No. 14 in the polls, but the Tide was able to show they weren't in the same class as Alabama.

The score certainly didn't tell the whole story and if you are an Alabama fan and were pleased with this game, you had low expectations and did what Saban fears his players may also do, just be satisfied with a nice win.

That is what happened last year and why they lost three games, two of them in a manner that showed that being satisfied with what was going on was the wrong thing to do.

I saw a little of that today and it will be reflected in the grades.

Nick Saban doesn't want them to be satisfied with good enough and neither should the team themselves. This grading will reflect that the author is not satisfied with it either.

Offensive Linemen: Missing Too Many Assignments C

First and goal at the one, with running backs averaging over six yards a carry and you run three times and don't score?

Are you kidding me?

The next time you hear a television announcer say this could be one of the best offensive lines in Tide history, please resist the urge to throw up or throw a brick at the television screen.

There were also some passing plays that defensive linemen had their hands on A.J. McCarron before he finished his three step drop.

Though they could at times look every bit the great the line they were expected to be, at times they looked simply over matched and under coached.

It's all about consistency and today the offensive line just didn't have it. Some days you make the grade and some days you don't.

Today they didn't make it, this was a C day.

Receivers: Did What They Were Expected to Do, A

Today was not a showcase game for the receivers, but Smelley had a nice catch on a high throw and Maze looked good with his opportunities and Hanks showed he could catch in perfect tight coverage.

Williams showed his cool by taking in a real pressure packed pass that was perfectly delivered on a fourth down play that both got the Tide rolling and and helped McCarron with his confidence.

But what got them the A today was their blocking.

Each receiver at times made blocks that were well placed that sprung the ball carrier for extra yards.

You could simply find no glaring problem that the receivers exhibited today.

Running Backs: Led the Way When It Mattered, B+

With Eddie Lacy hobbled a bit with turf toe, Trent Richardson certainly proved he could carry the load as he carried the ball 17 times for 126 yards, with many of those yards after initial contact.

So why not an A?

Great running backs will not hit the line twice with one yard to go for a touchdown and fail, even if their line isn't up to snuff, which Alabama's wasn't during that series.

Still, they led the way when it mattered and were not only great at running the ball for most of the day, but great out of the backfield as receivers.

Trent Richardson led all Alabama players with 85 yards on three catches, including the back breaker for the Hogs, when he caught a short screen pass and took it to the house 61 yards down the field.

They kept the linebackers and secondary honest and helped A.J. McCarron keep the passing game clicking.

Except for the botched goal line failure by the Tide, the running backs had a good day clicking off almost 200 yards combined.

Quarterback: He May Have Been CBS Player of the Game, but He Scored a B Here

A.J. McCarron was 15 of 20 for 200 yards for two touchdown and no interceptions, winning CBS Sports Player of the Game award and was always able to get to the check off receiver if everyone else was covered.

But there was a lot he did wrong too.

I can just hear Saban asking him when he came to the sideline after throwing the ball squarely in the hands of a defensive tackle after misjudging where Richardson was, "What the hell were you thinking?"

That was a moment in the game where a silly interception could have put Arkansas back into the game and given the momentum back to the Razorbacks.

Also, despite a high accuracy rate, there were too many throws that led receivers just a bit too far or that they saved with acrobatic catches.

Still he managed the game well, made some great throws when he had to and had good pocket presence except for one bad moment.

The biggest mistakes were already aired, but the biggest compliment was that he never appeared rattled, was never nervous and was always in charge and confident.

Defensive Line: Is There Really a Question Here? A+

Today you saw a few more blitzes, a few stunts and a lot of success.

The team got some sacks, the line themselves forced some hurries and they simply made fools of the Arkansas running game, limiting them to just 17 yards net rushing and less than one yard a carry on average.

Folks, it don't get much better than this.

This was their best game yet and it was against the number 14 team in the country and an SEC team at that.

Jesse Williams is coming into his own and even the back ups that substituted in and out never missed a play.

This defense could carry the Tide far into the season and may just be good enough to lead them all the way and the line is right there out front leading the way.

Linebackers: A Textbook Day Earned Them an A+

C.J. Mosely, a starting linebacker goes out with a bad elbow. How will the Tide deal with that?

Simply plug in another of the talented group of linebackers on that team and continue to dominate one of the SEC's best offenses.

Dont'a Hightower is everything all the Alabama fans hoped he'd be this season, a leader vocally, but mainly a leader by example.

Courtney Upshaw was a beast as well as every other linebacker and the replacements who came in as well.

This game could be used as instructional video on how to play all the linebacker positions.

I almost took away the + because of the dumb late hit call  by a substitute linebacker, but I'll let that slide to enthusiasm.

Defensive Backs: A Good Day with Some Miscues at Bad Times Get Them an A-

The defensive backs played what was no doubt the best passing team they've faced so far this year and they passed the test.

It was foolish to think they could totally shut the Arkansas Express down, but they got an A- instead of an A because Dre Kirkpatrick allowed a touchdown catch that he was in perfect position to bat away but simply missed.

There were also some missed interception opportunities and a few missed tackles.

Still in all, Alabama has proven that these defensive backs have come a long way since last season when they were often caught flat footed in the wrong place at the wrong time or botching assignments.

This is a group that was allowed to flex their muscle a few times in blitzes and they hurried the quarterback when they did.

Dee Milliner had a pick and DeQuan Menzie took one to the house. This one game doubled the team's interception total for the year as Mark Barron and Phelon Jones has each had one before this game.

Ironically enough, the team and SEC leader interception leader from last year, Robert Lester, still has none so far this year.

Special Teams: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Overall a B

Marquis Maze earned an A for his efforts in punt returns giving the Tide their only highlight reel moment so far this season with a sizzling 83 yard return that showed both his speed and tackle breaking ability as well as his patience in slowing down and letting the blockers do their job before turning it back on.

It was a run that weaved all over the field and may give Maze the confidence to start doing more of that.

Jeremy Shelly was one for one and also deserved an A but the punting game was once again spotty as Cody Mandelll has the consistency as a roll of the dice.

Furthermore, what happened to Cade Foster's ability to simply kick off and put it in the end zone?

He did place one kick there Saturday and then he had others that didn't even make the 20 yard line. Is there a clinic or coach or hypnotist or somebody that can help these two?

If so, Saban needs to find them. They had a C day overall.

Coaching: Nothing but an A

I said all last week that Alabama had been practicing things all season that they hadn't shown and were ready to and this week. In the first series, Saban showed one of them with a fake field goal that went for a touchdown.

Saban and Smart had a great game plan to keep pressure on Wilson and keep his timing off just enough to disrupt the Hogs passing game. Most fans felt comfortable there would be no running game and that was certainly the case.

On offense, McElwain called at least four occasions to turn A.J. McCarron loose with bombs, but only two of them went airborne as McCarron saw tight coverage and went to a different receiver. One of the bombs was just off Maze's fingertips and the other went long, but those throws helped open up running lanes as the safeties were afraid to cheat up on the line.

Also, you saw more pulling by the linemen than usual and those plays seemed to take the Hogs by surprise and worked well.

But once Saban saw the game was well in hand, he closed the lid on any more surprises and saved the rest for another day and another game.

The Team as a Whole Unit: A Very Solid B

It's hard to think that you could beat a top 15 team by 24 points and still not earn an A, but there were still just too many failed drives, missed chances on defense and spotty special team play to cheapen an A grade by giving it to this team.

Still Alabama fans should be encouraged that if they can dismantle a top SEC team by 24 points while only playing a B game, imagine how good they can be once they get it all together.

As good as this team is, it is still a team in transition, one that still hasn't reached its peak and hit their stride yet.

And that is the thing that keeps their opponents awake at night.

(Larry Burton is a syndicated writer whose work appears online and in print. If you'd like to keep up with all his articles, follow him on Twitter and sign up as a fan on his Bio Page.)