Tide Looking to Make Strides Against Overmatched Warhawks
After narrowly escaping Austin, TX with a win, Bama returns home for a breather.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Practice could not have been fun this week in Tuscaloosa. Photo via Sports Illutrated
After a scare in Austin last Saturday, Nick Saban and the 2nd ranked Crimson Tide of Alabama look to take the next step in their quest to reclaim the national championship as they take on Terry Bowden’s 1-1 University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks of the suddenly dangerous Sun Belt Conference. Bama Nation let out a collective sigh of relief as the final seconds ticked off the clock last week, securing a one point win over Texas. The Tide will be looking for drastic improvement after a sloppy and undisciplined performance against the Longhorns.
UL-Monroe started the season falling to Texas and Quinn Ewers, 52-10 before getting in the win column last week, a 35-7 drubbing of Nicholls. The Warhawk offense is averaging 22.5 points and 341 yards per game. The unit is led by sophomore quarterback Chandler Rogers, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for one against Nicholls. So far this season, Rogers is completing 77% of his passes. His leading receiver is senior Jevin Frett, who is averaging 13.2 yards per catch (he has 10 through two games). Junior Malik Jackson leads the team on the ground, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Tristan Driggers is off to a good start, recording 11 tackles in the Warhawks first two games.
For the Tide, the offense is averaging 37.5 points per game and will look to be more consistent compared to last week’s struggle against Texas. At one point, Bama’s traditionally potent offense punted six straight times to the Horns. Quarterback Bryce Young is off to a good start, completing 67% of his passes for an average of 204 yards per game. He’s thrown six touchdown passes to zero interception. Of concern for Young and the Tide is that he also leads the team in rushing, averaging 11.5 yards per carry. The Tide’s slew of running backs, led by Jahmyr Gibbs, Jase McClellan (who had a nifty 81 yard touchdown run against Texas), Roydell Williams, and Trey Sanders will be looking to have a breakout game against ULM on the ground.
On the receiving end of Young’s passes, Traeshon Holden leads the way with 9 receptions and 2 touchdowns, however, Gibbs has proven to be Young’s most dangerous target. Look for the Tide to try to get freshman Kobe Prentice, Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton, returning lettermen Ja’Cory Brooks, and tight end Cameron Latu more involved in the passing game. The Tide offensive line remains an area of concern, and they will look to gain confidence and their footing against an overmatched ULM front seven. The hero of the Texas game, placekicker Will Reichard, is perfect on the season, hitting 4 of 4 attempts, including a 33 yard game winner over Texas with 10 ticks on the clock. Defensively, the Tide did some nice things against the Longhorns, most notably limiting them to one touchdown in five trips to the red zone. The unit was not at their best, highlighted by linebacker Will Anderson’s four penalties. The corners had a rough day as well, committing several key holding and pass interference penalties throughout the game. Look for defensive coordinator Pete Golding and the entire D to be aggressive and dominate against ULM.
The Warhawks are in a heap of trouble indeed. They will be facing a motivated, angry Bama team that no doubt had several “Come to Jesus” moments this week and will be looking to make amends for a lackluster performance in Austin (it is important to note that even though it was not their best day, the Tide still won on the road against a quality opponent). Look for offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to challenge the offensive line by establishing a dominant running game early against ULM, using the entire stable of backs. I expect the Tide passing game to attempt to stretch the field and establish a deep threat early as well. Don’t be shocked if the coaches keep the starters in for some extra work, even after the game gets out of hand. The Tide will reestablish its dominance and walk away from Bryant-Denny with an impressive performance on both sides of the ball.
ALABAMA 62
ULM 3