![]() The latter point has led many to assume that the scheme is to blame. Running the football has been a boom or bust affair, and much of the yardage gained through the air has come on Bryce’s improvisation. Still, there have been points of frustration. ![]() There were still questions as a couple of positions needed filled on the line and almost all of the receiving production was off to the NFL, but Alabama was expected to overcome as they usually do.įast forward to bye week 2022, and Bill O’Brien is perhaps the most polarizing figure in Alabama this side of Tommy Tuberville.Īlabama’s offensive production has been very good overall, currently ranked 5th in points per game and 9th in yards per play. That game delivered a Heisman trophy as well as a playoff berth, and after a hard fought loss in the national title game Young was billed alongside pass rusher Will Anderson as the primary reasons for Alabama’s consensus #1 ranking. The alarm bells really started to sound after a poor offensive performance against a mediocre LSU squad, then perhaps an even worse one in Auburn.įortunately, he saved the season with a heroic drive to barely pull out the victory on the Plains before shredding the Georgia defense in Atlanta in a manner that exactly no one expected. The Tide lost at Texas A&M, which was mostly and correctly blamed on some defensive lapses plus the fact that it was Young’s first road start in the SEC. We all know how it turned out, but along the way there were hiccups. The wide receiver room was young, but there was a promising transfer from Ohio State named Jameson Williams who was to serve as the deep threat as Metchie took the reins at WR1. Thankfully, elite five star prospect Bryce Young was waiting in the wings at quarterback. As a result, Mac Jones set the all time season single passer rating record that still stands currently. It was probably the best offensive line Nick Saban has had, with a first round caliber QB and skill talent to boot. Included in that group were both tackles in Alex Leatherwood and Evan Neal, and center Landon Dickerson went high in the second despite a severe knee injury suffered late in the season. Five members of that offense went in the first round of the NFL Draft that April and another the following April. ![]() In 2021, O’Brien was hired and asked to reload perhaps the greatest offense in college football history, as evidenced by the Heisman, Maxwell, Manning, Doak Walker, Biletnikoff, Outland, and Rimington trophies. As in any analysis, you have to control for variables, and there are many. How much has fan opinion changed? We are about to find out, but first let’s try and look at this thing from a logical perspective. Our own Brent Taylor offered a poll at about this time last season, and at the time 6 9% of respondents rated themselves satisfied with O’Brien’s performance. To be sure, the offensive performance in that game wasn’t great and, despite a low stress 30-6 result, that was just too much for an Alabama fanbase desperate to see dominance the week after losing to Tennessee for the first time since the iPhone was invented. Following Saturday night’s game against Mississippi State, online calls for the head of offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien have reached a fever pitch.
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