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After Alabama smashed LSU’s offense in Tuscaloosa in 2015, I examined the claim that the Tide sold out to stop Leonard Fournette, finding it to be mostly false.
Did Alabama really load the box (the middle 25 yards of the field within eight yards of the line of scrimmage, roughly) with extra defenders?
The purpose of loading the box is to outnumber the offense at the point of attack, creating an unblocked defender. Against a typical I-formation run, there are seven potential blockers nearby (the QB does not block, and the tailback is going to run).
Seven defenders in the box is an advantageous alignment for such an offense. Eight means an unblocked defender, but that's a common look, and running backs can often make the eighth defender miss. Nine defenders in the box against seven blockers is very difficult to run against, and teams have to be able to counter by throwing the football.
This year, Fournette had 35 yards on 17 carries.
I looked at every standard down — defined by Bill Connelly as first down, second-and-7 or fewer, and third-and-4 or fewer — with the exception of the drive right before the half and the final drive, because running the football did not make sense in those situations, due to the game clock.
The results? Out of 27 plays, Alabama brought an extra defender into the box 13 times, and did not bring two extra on any I charted; 48 percent is actually up slightly from 2015’s 38 percent figure, likely due to the closer nature of the 2016 contest.
Alabama still outrecruits the world, and the front seven is where the margin is largest. Playing with multiple tight ends and running backs allows Alabama to get more monsters on the field.
The 3-4 defense is Nick Saban’s bread and butter. Not a whole lot changed from 2015.
"Well, I think when you play a great player like that, everybody has to really focus on doing their job,” Saban said. “Our guys did it last year. We played a lot of the same stuff we played a year ago. We played 3-4, everybody's got a gap. Everybody's got to win the block on the line. Everybody's got to create a new line of scrimmage. Everybody's got to keep great contain on the guy and you can't have one guy tackling him. And I think our guys did a really good job of that. We got some pretty hateful guys that play defense here that are pretty good competitors, so when they get challenged a little bit they usually respond. I thought they responded really well tonight."
Alabama really wasn’t beating LSU’s rushing offense by stringing runs out and allowing extra defenders to come make the play. Rather, its defensive linemen and linebackers were quickly winning at the line of scrimmage, hitting Fournette at or behind the line of scrimmage an incredible 59 percent of the time.
They say styles make fights, but in this case, LSU’s style plays right into the hands of the Tide.
If LSU had better quarterback play, perhaps it could take advantage of the times the Tide did load the box, but it doesn’t. And Alabama knew that.
My question from the preseason remains: Can anyone block Alabama’s front? I am still skeptical, which is why Alabama remains my title pick.
Quickly
Michigan hosted a number of elite prospects over the weekend, who watched the Wolverines destroy Maryland.
A large group of 2017 target were on hand for Michigan's victory over Maryland Saturday, including former Wolverine commit Aubrey Solomon. Solomon was also joined by four-star receiver Nico Collins, four-star offensive tackle Aaron Banks, and Michigan commits J'Marick Woods and Andrew Stueber. Collins and Solomon have kept quiet about their visits for the most part, but a decisive conference win is sure to give Michigan some points on the recruiting trail.
Could Miami’s recruiting be picking up?
Chad Kelly’s season-ending injury means even more what-ifs and tough choices for Ole Miss, by Bill Connelly. I enjoyed reading this piece by Bill, and am really interested to see if Ole Miss pulls the redshirt off former five-star QB Shea Patterson.
Updated bowl and Playoff projections, plus 29 other college football things to know, by Jason Kirk. Personally, I think a Playoff of Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and Washington would be thrilling viewing. But I’d pass on Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin and Ohio State vs. Utah in NY6 access bowls.
Wait, what? Notre Dame only had the ball 6 times in an entire game against Navy?, by Alex Kirshner. Seriously. Six possessions.
I think your conference is actually bad: Week 10 college football power rankings, by Richard Johnson. Nice work in Richard’s weekly piece. I read this to catch up on games I did not watch, and for the #jokes.
College football odds 2016, Week 11: Only one unbeaten is less than a two-TD favorite. This is a gross weekend coming up. The only real game in question among the Playoff contenders is Washington hosting USC, in which the Huskies are favored by eight.
Previously
Alabama vs. LSU always has huge recruiting implications.
Podcast: An economist put a dollar amount and a win number on elite recruits.