Film Room: Momentum Plays Flipped the Switch for Alabama Football Against Ole Miss
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Football is a game of slim margins.
On Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide wasn't perfect on offense. But, with a strong defensive performance and a few key momentum shifters, the Crimson Tide picked up a win over a top-15 team.
Momentum plays have been a big part of Alabama's run over the last 16 years. Big hits, forced turnovers, deep passes and other game-changing plays has been an area where Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide win the game.
The same was true for Saturday.
"I think the momentum of the game [...] really shifted for us," Saban said on Saturday. "The energy went up. And I think that was demonstrated by how we continued to play the rest of the game. I'm always happy to see guys make those kind of plays."
Roll the tape.
Ja'Corey Brooks Blocks a Punt
With 7:52 remaining in the first half, Alabama had just three points on the board. With the offense struggling, the Crimson Tide needed something to give its offense some momentum.
Who better than wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks, an offensive player, to turn the game around for Alabama?
At first, Brooks appears to be dropping back to cover the punt return. Then, watch the entire line of players attack the punter like a pack of hungry wolves.
The Crimson Tide was more than content with the play ending in a fair catch. Because of that, Alabama was rewarded with the ball at the 1-yard line. Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, the ensuing drive only resulted in three points.
It still doesn't change the fact that this play had a huge impact on the remainder of the game.
Terrion Arnold Takes the Ball Out of the Air
OK — it was a bad throw from Jaxson Dart. But that doesn't take away from the fact that Terrion Arnold and Caleb Downs were great in coverage on this play. And at the end of the day, Arnold made the play.
We saw Arnold's return ability last weekend in Tampa when he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown that was called back for a penalty. Look at those moves. He takes the ball from inside the 5-yard line all the way out to around the 40-yard line.
That sets up what happens next.
Jalen Milroe Delivers a Dime Through a Big Hit
To me, this play signifies what Jalen Milroe is for Alabama. Having a tough game, Milroe is desperate for a big play. On this play, he steps up into the pocket and delivers a beautifully-thrown deep ball to Jalen Hale to extend the Crimson Tide's lead.
He got hit hard, too.
After the play, Milroe got back to his feet and fired up the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium, showing the fans and his teammates that he's willing to do whatever it takes to win.
And that's poise.
Ty Simpson Runs Through a Facemask
I was very confused why the Crimson Tide lined up for a two-point conversion after the touchdown. With an extra point, Alabama has a two-score lead. If it misses the two-point try, the Rebels would be down only one score still.
The good news for the Crimson Tide? Ty Simpson wasn't going to take no for an answer here. After Milroe went to the sideline, Simpson came in and bobbled the snap. Then, he did the rest himself.
After leading Alabama to its victory over USF last week, Simpson was put back on the bench. But when he got his opportunity here, he made the most of it.
Jam Miller Lays the Boom on Kickoff
It's becoming easy to see how the Crimson Tide overwhelmed the Rebels down the stretch. Milroe's touchdown throw and Simpson's two-point run happened.
And then this happened.
Jam Miller is the third running back on Alabama's depth chart. But, like Brooks on the punt block, Miller was willing to make a play on special teams to lift the Crimson Tide's spirits. And did he ever. Unfortunately for Miller, he was ejected for targeting on this play.
But in all honesty, I think Saban would trade this kind of momentum play for his third-string running back missing the first half of next week's game against Mississippi State.
See Also:
Takeaways from Alabama Football's Physically Imposing Win Over Ole Miss
2023 SEC Football Power Rankings: Week 4
Alabama Football Got Back to Its Standard with Its Back Against the Wall
