A hostile atmosphere, Kyle Allen’s supporting cast and a dangerous John Chavis defense are three negatives for Alabama heading to College Station, Texas. Regardless of these elements, the play of senior quarterback Jacob Coker on the road may out weight the cons.
Alabama’s second-year quarterback has looked like a world beater on the road. Coker completed 26 of 37 passes for 403 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers against Wisconsin and Georgia. The Crimson Tide match-up with the Badgers was a neutral site game at AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas), but Coker looked in perfect phase nonetheless.
He has completed 70.3 percent of his throws away from Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama fans want his success on the road to continue, yet it cannot help but to be disturbed by Coker’s struggles at home. His completion mark at Bryant-Denny Stadium, 57.0 percent, is a 13.3 percent difference than on the road. Coker has connected on 77 of 135 pass attempts for 835 yards with nine touchdowns to six interceptions. He joins ex-Crimson Tide quarterback Spencer Pennington (2004) for the most interceptions thrown at home.
Whether it is trying too hard to please a fan base or overthinking on decisions, something is causing Coker to be inconsistent at home. His toughness was special in Alabama’s loss to Mississippi, totaling three touchdown passes and a fourth score on the ground. He had some strong moments in the second half against Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas, but the senior has yet to fully put in an all-around solid game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
This is not good for a team with a championship mindset.
Former Alabama signal-caller Blake Sims was masterful last season in all seven home games.
He completed 119 of 174 passes for 1,854 yards with 18 touchdowns to five interceptions. Sims hit on 68.4 percent of his throws and rushed for four touchdowns, giving him 22 total scores. He completed 69.23 percent of his attempts 1,109 yards with 14 total touchdowns (three rushing) to just one interception in Alabama’s first four home games in 2014.
A win is good no matter where it comes from, but in order for Alabama to impress the pollsters, Coker’s play in front of the home crowd must improve. Its next home game is Oct. 24 against Tennessee.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @ESPN_Future.
