Alabama has set the bar so high in college football that even a convincing 35-10 victory over Virginia Tech Saturday in Atlanta was not enough to satisfy its rabid fans, who left the Georgia Dome unhappy about the lack of offensive production.
The Tide didn’t exactly roll against the ACC Hokies, gaining a dismal 206 yards total offense and there were some serious questions about its rebuilt offensive line after it lost Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones and D.J. Flucker– three elite players from the strongest offensive line in BCS history– to the NFL. Alabama rushed for only 96 yards, and senior quarterback A.J. McCarron, playing with an ingrown toe nail, found himself without much time to make passes he has routinely been able to pull off the last two seasons, finishing 10-of-23 for 110 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Tide spent most of preseason camp experimenting with its linemen, trying to find the best combination to put on the field. But the chemistry and experience paled in comparison to past Nick Saban-coached Alabama teams and was particularly noticeable when left tackle Cyrus Kouandijo – an All American candidate and potential high NFL draft pick– struggled most of the game.
“I don’t even think the guys that had a lot of experience played as well as they need to play on the offensive line,” Saban said. “I think we’re talking about the entire group realizing they need to play a little bit better, play a little bit better together, be a little more physical. We have too good of skilled players not to give them more opportunities to make plays in the game.”
Trust Saban, who has coached Bama to three national championships in the last four years, to figure it out.
He is the best college football coach in the modern era and has a week off to prepare before the Tide visit Texas A & M in a long awaited SEC showdown Sept. 14..
“Everybody expects us to go out every game and win by 50, I feel like anyway, but it’s the first game of the season,” Steen said.
If anything, it was a coming out party for sophomore wr/return whiz Christion Jones, who become first Alabama player since the ’40s to have two returns for touchdowns, Vinnie Sunseri brought back an interception for another TD as the Tide exposed the Hokies’ traditionally staunch special teams. Jones scored on a 72-yard punt return less than 2 minutes into the game, then broke loose on a kickoff for a 94-yard touchdown that sparked the Crimson Tide (1-0) early. He also caught a 38-yard TD pass in the third quarter.
While the Tide was far from perfect, we’ll still keep them on top of the Blue Star media Top 10 for now, ahead of Oregon (1-0), Clemson (1-0), Ohio State (1-0), Texas A & M (1-0), South Carolina (1-0), Louiisville (1-0), Stanford (0-0), Michigan (1-0) and Georgia (0-1).
