Alabama Offensive Line Falling Well Short of Lofty Expectations

The unit that many picked as a preseason Joe Moore Award contender has struggled mightily through three games.

TAMPA, Fla. — Through three games of watching Alabama's offensive line, we're starting to see why talking season is called just that.

The big men up front for the Crimson Tide offense garnered more preseason hype than just about every other position group on the team. The hype seemed warranted, too, as the unit is littered with 4- and 5-star talent.

Add in the fact that multiple members of the line weighed in at or over 360 pounds before fall camp, and the expectations skyrocketed. 

Analysts said this unit had the potential to be one of the best offensive lines Tuscaloosa has seen in years. They were supposed to be Joe Moore Award contenders, if not winners. They were supposed to rival the offensive lines of Saban Era lore like 2012 and 2020.

Could they still become that? Sure, but right now they look like an extreme disappointment. 

In Week 2, the Texas defensive line threw the Alabama offensive line around, making quarterback Jalen Milroe scramble out of the pocket time and time again. Many chalked it up to the quality of opponent, and hoped for a resurgent performance in Week 3 against the lowly USF Bulls, who won just one game a season ago. 

Instead, USF lived in the Alabama backfield despite a 17-3 loss, pressuring every Alabama quarterback that entered the game whether it was Tyler Buchner or Ty Simpson. 

When head coach Nick Saban was asked how he felt about the offensive line play, he was comedically candid, saying, "Well how many sacks did they have?"

The answer? Five. 

The Bulls lived in the Alabama backfield, alarmingly to the same extent Texas did a week ago. Simpson was the recipient of all five sacks, barely being able to get a pass off in some cases without being hit from his blindside or having to throw a pass away while running for his life.

"We knew they were going to pressure a lot, they have a really good pressure package," Saban said. "We messed up the protections several times, we got beat several times. So, we need to get that fixed because that's been an area that has been a consistent problem for us all year. Last week with the sacks, this week with the sacks. You know, those are drive-killers, and we've got to eliminate that."

Senior guard Darrian Dalcourt, who has started every game this season at right guard, agreed that the unit needs improvement across the board.

"I think that we could have played a little harder, finished a little bit more plays," Dalcourt said. "Work in progress, we're going to watch the film, see what we can do better. But, I'm proud of the way we finished the game and that we played for 60 minutes."

There was some shuffling of the starting lineup as the game began, with Terrence Ferguson unexpectedly getting the start at left guard over Tyler Booker, who was a team captain before the game.

Saban said Booker missed the game due to back spasms.

"Booker's kind of the leader of the offensive line," Saban said. "He certainly helps [left tackle Kadyn Proctor] play better, because he plays beside him. I think [Proctor] has a lot of confidence when he's in there, so hopefully we get him back next week as well."

Ferguson, a redshirt sophomore, made some noise during fall camp as a potential starter, but has since settled into a "sixth man" type of role on the unit He even split reps with Dalcourt at right guard in the season opener against Middle Tennessee.

"We know what type of player he is and what he brings, so we're all really proud of him," Dalcourt said of Ferguson. "We appreciate him stepping in for us."

Saban was very complimentary of the USF defensive unit, specifically its pass rush schematics throughout the game. He cited the 'multiple' looks that the Bulls utilize, which means its use of a variety of defensive fronts and personnel from snap to snap. 

"They have probably as exotic of a pressure package as anybody we play against," Saban said. "And they do a really good job of executing it. I don't think they did anything different, it's just the multiples. There's so many multiples that you have to change protections and slide protections different ways and recognize how to do that. We probably did a good job in practice of handling it but we didn't do a good job in the game."

"Credit for them, they brought a lot of unique stuff," Dalcourt said. "They played well, they did bring a couple pressures, so credit to them for that."

While it would have been easy to continue harping on the negatives from the offensive line, Saban made a point to identify a major positive from the group, the final drive of the game. 

Up 10-3 with 6:29 to go in the game, Alabama took over after an interception from Malachi Moore. The Crimson Tide proceeded to drive  the length of the field and chew all but 33 seconds of the remainder of the clock, scoring a touchdown to extend the lead to 14 points. 

Alabama drove 80 yards in 11 plays, all rushes, spearheaded by the offensive line.

"I challenged the offensive line, and said, 'Don't give them the ball back. Take the clock and the game.' And that's exactly what they did," Saban said. 

That silver lining won't magically fix the offensive line's issues thus far, but with a daunting SEC slate on deck beginning with No. 17 Ole Miss next week, perhaps its a step in the right direction to get this unit on track.

See also:

Uncertainty Still Lingers at QB for Alabama Heading into SEC Play