The season opener for Alabama football ended with a win, but what does the Tide’s report card look like for the game?
The college season is finally upon us, and Alabama football hopes to begin their 2019 revenge tour. That tour began against Duke in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game.
Although the game ended with a win, it left a lot to be desired. There were some big mistakes, but the defense held strong. The offense struggled early due to the lack of a running game, but the wide receivers made some big plays.
How does Alabama’s report card shape up after this game?
Offensive Line: C–
The Tide’s offensive had two big names to replace from last year, but they came into this game confident in what they had. However, they started out with some early jitters. Tua Tagovailoa rarely had time to make plays, and his few early completions for big games came back because of holding calls.
The line play got better as the game progressed, but there are still plenty of concerns that need to be addressed. They probably will, too. It takes a couple of games for offensive lines to get in a rhythm. There are still a couple of battles that need to be completely won with the interior of the offensive line. The entire shape of the line might change once Deonte Brown comes back from suspension.
Chemistry is a big part of how an offensive line functions. Without time in real games, it’s really hard to get that chemistry. If they are still playing like this by the time the Texas A&M game rolls around, I would be highly concerned.
On the bright side, the Tide only gave up one sack while Tua was in the game. They are going in the right direction, they just have to keep progressing.