Alabama’s offense had a difficult time scoring points and generating momentum against Tennessee in week eight.
Alabama will need to recalibrate and search for answers following its second loss of the season. There is a lot of room for improvement from a coaching and player perspective.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has struggled in recent weeks. He has struggled to make the necessary throws and has sparingly used his legs to pick up much-needed yardage for the Crimson Tide. Some have speculated that Milroe is playing through an injury, but those rumors were squashed when offensive guard Tyler Booker said that Milroe is “going to be able to do everything in his power to help us win that game.” The game that he was alluding to was the Tennessee game.
Whatever the case may be, Milroe has not performed his best in the past three games. It has caused a significant dip in the offense’s production. The offense seems to run through Milroe and freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams. Aside from those two, there has not been a player that has emerged on offense. That is a concern as Alabama looks to navigate a tough schedule ahead.
Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan seems to be running a pass-first offense. At times, the passing attack has been effective. At other times, it has been a lost cause.
The run game has not been utilized like it should be. In seven games, Alabama’s two feature running backs have had just 110 carries. Jam Miller is averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Justice Haynes is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The numbers back up the need for Sheridan to run the football more often and work diligently to establish some sort of run game. Otherwise, defenses will make an asserted effort to eliminate Alabama’s explosive plays and neutralize the passing attack.
Missouri is a defense that has struggled at times. It seems like a good opportunity for Alabama to bounce back on offense after struggling the past two weeks against elite defenses like South Carolina’s and Tennessee’s. A balanced offensive attack should be the emphasis for Alabama’s coaching staff moving forward. The inability to establish a rushing attack has proven to be costly this season. It is something that needs to be addressed in the coming weeks. If not, Alabama will be in grave danger of missing out on the 12-team College Football Playoff.
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