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Making the grade
defensive line Grade: b+
Do the math
Opponents have averaged just 2.2 yards per rush against the Tide.
class project
Skipped a grade
Lorenzo Washington
Progress report Alabama’s quarterback play was a question coming into the season, and it’s been answered in the affirmative. The Crimson Tide’s passing game has flourished with a 61.7-percent completion rate, and the 205.5-yard passing average per game is deceiving because UA has spent the fourth quarter running out the clock more often than not.
Greg McElroy
Prize pupil Greg McElroy has taken over as both Alabama’s leader and as a playmaker. He has protected the ball, throwing just one interception, and has stretched defenses with his arm. More importantly, McElroy has shown poise and has a grasp of the offense that allows him to check off into better plays by assessing the defense at the line of scrimmage.
GR
AD
E
Redshirt freshman Star Jackson has been impressive in relief, completing better than 69 percent of his throws.
Grade: a
Progress report
Class project
McElroy has thrown 141 passes since his last interception.
Alabama has developed a deep stable of talent in the backfield, making the loss of Glen Coffee to the National Football League a non-issue. Sophomore Mark Ingram leads the rotation, with rookie Trent Richardson earning more and more playing time as the season progresses. Roy Upchurch and Terry Grant have been effective in change-of-pace roles.
running back
McClain is a legitimate candidate for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
Pop quiz
Prize pupil Ingram leads the SEC with 10 touchdowns, including three TD receptions. He has run for nearly 110 yards per game and has 312 rushing yards in his last two outings.
Skipped a grade Freshman Trent Richardson has rushed for 346 yards and broken long touchdown runs of 52 and 35 yards.
Alabama runners have had trouble producing early in some games and need to get off to a fast start more consistently.
GR
AD
Class project
Will Alabama be able to involve Jones, a major-league talent, in the second half of the season while still spreading the wealth? The Tide offense will have to walk a fine line to increase Jones’ productivity while still utilizing other pass-catching options.
Do the math Alabama has given up seven sacks this season, for a total loss of just 38 yards.
Prize pupil Mike Johnson anchors the front from the left guard position, with both his play and his leadership. You can mark Johnson down for the NFL Draft next spring, as well. James Carpenter
Grade: A-
At 6-0 with its smallest margin of victory being 10 points, complaints about this Alabama team are few. The defense has stuffed a top-notch running game (Virginia Tech), an NFL-caliber quarterback (Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett) and ranks No. 2 in the nation at 220.5 yards per game. It has been stingy on yardage all season, and has recently bemidterm gun forcing more turnovers as well. UA leads the SEC in Progress sacks (15) and allows fewer rushing yards than any team in the league (65.7). This despite losing linebacker Dont’a report
Prize pupil Maze is averaging an eye-opening 20.2 yards per catch. He has found the end zone twice, with his biggest play coming on an 80-yard touchdown catch against Arkansas.
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Trent Richardson
Michael Bowman is the only true freshman to get on the field as a wideout this season, with one catch for seven yards.
receiver
Pop quiz
AD
E
In his first season at the majorcollege level, juniorcollege transfer Carpenter has started every game at the crucial left tackle posi-
offensive line Grade: b
Pop quiz
4. How many different combinations of starters has Alabama used on the offensive line this season?
Colin Peek has been the receiving threat that fans hoped for to replace Nick Walker, but beyond that, he has given UA a reliable blocker as well. The transfer from Georgia Tech was named one of the team’s offensive players of the week after catching just two passes in a game earlier this season, a clear sign that his blocking was top-shelf. He has caught 17 passes for 192 receiving yards, ranking first and second on the team, respectively. Behind Peek, Brad Smelley has played in more of an H-back role, while Preston Dial (two catches) sees more playing time in goal-line and shortyardage situations.
ence and a new offensive line continues to build cohesion, the UA offense shows no signs of slowing down. The toughest defense UA will see over the final six games is difficult to determine, but the three candidates (Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU) will all play at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Pop quiz 7. Which Tide linebacker leads the team in tackles for loss?
special teams Grade: b
Progress report
UA’s pass defense ranks fourth in the SEC at 154.8 yards per game, though a leaguehigh 15 sacks have helped the secondary in that regard. Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 46.3 percent of their passes against Alabama, the lowest percentage of any secondary in the league. Cornerbacks Kareem Jackson and Javier Arenas give the Crimson Tide a solid man-toman coverage tandem, which allows UA defensive coordinator Kirby Smart more freedom where blitzes and safety help are concerned.
With an outstanding return game and kicker Leigh Tiffin enjoying the best season of his career, the positives have far outweighed the negatives. Javier Arenas is averaging 16.9 yards on punt returns and 27.8 on kickoff returns, both of which will be career bests if he can maintain them. Tiffin has connected on 14 of 16 field-goal attempts (87.5 percent) and is getting the best distance of his career on kickoffs. The overriding blemish has been a dismal performance with kickoff coverage (105th out of 120 schools in the NCAA at 24.97 per return).
Prize pupil
Arenas has been named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player. He also has three sacks on the year.
Prize pupil
Tiffin leads the SEC in scoring with 64 points on the year.
do the math Despite playing a cornerback position that keeps him out of the action on many plays, Arenas is second on the team in solo tackles with 22, five behind Rolando McClain.
Skipped a grade GR
AD
E
Redshirt freshman Michael Williams hasn’t caught a pass but has quietly made his way into UA’s rotation at this position.
Mark Barron has filled in nicely as a firstyear starter among three veterans.
do the math Punter P.J. Fitzgerald’s average has climbed through each of his four years as a starter to 42.0 yards this year.
Prize pupil Peek has every chance to lead the team in receptions, particularly with a quarterback who frequently finds his second read.
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Continue to produce more interceptions. Alabama has picked off seven passes the last two games after only making two interceptions in the first four games of the season.
Class project
Peek has dropped three passes in conference play, and will look to be a more consistent target over the season’s second half. Will Smelley be more involved in the passing attack going forward? The sophomore has three receptions so far.
GR
class project
Pop quiz 8. Which active Alabama defensive back has the most career interceptions?
Pop quiz
9. Alabama has recorded two blocked punts this season. Who was credited for them?
skipped a grade
Dre Kirkpatrick has been one GR AD of several freshmen to conE tribute on special teams this season, but Kirkpatrick has stood out as a gunner on the punt team and earned player-of-the-week honors from the coaching staff for special teams play earlier this season.
Do the math
class project
Just more than 20 percent of UA’s pass completions this season have been to tight ends (22 of 103).
Find some consistency in kickoff coverage. Various players have worked in and out of the kickoff unit, though head coach Nick Saban has said that personnel isn’t necessarily the issue.
Nick Saban Hightower, arguably UA’s second-best defensive player, to a season-ending knee injury. The toughest remaining regular-season test for the defense should be a surprisingly strong Auburn offense, which is averaging 489.8 yards per game. Offensively, a near-perfect balance has been struck between rush and pass for a 445-yard average. UA ranks No. 17 in the nation in total offense and is averaging 37 points per game. As new quarterback Greg McElroy continues to gain experi-
Finding the right combination in the absence of Hightower.
skipped a grade
Progress report GR
Rolando McClain
Class project
Progress report
5. How many points have Alabama tight ends scored this season?
Grade: b+
Skipped a grade
E
Grade: a-
Pop quiz
tight end
The line has had its share of false starts, holding penalties and the like. Over the last six games, fewer penalties can and should be expected.
AD
defensive backs
Grade: b+
3. Which UA receiver has caught the most passes this season?
Class project
The biggest question mark on the entire team in the preseason, the offensive line, has been a pleasant surprise through six games. New starters William Vlachos (center), Barrett Jones (right guard) and James Carpenter (left tackle) haven’t been the Achilles heel that opposing defenses were hoping for. Pass protection hasn’t been an issue and the rushing attack has been as effective, if not as physically dominant, as it was a year ago. Overall, there is little room to complain about a unit that has answered its critics in resounding fashion.
Mike McCoy
Skipped a grade GR
2. How many times has Mark Ingram fumbled in his UA career?
Progress report
Jones has caught 13 passes for 175 yards with one touchdown. At this point a year ago, he had 19 catches for 278 yards with four TDs.
E
Do the math Alabama’s running backs are averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
Do the math
The question coming into the season was who would step up to provide an alternative to last year’s super freshman, Julio Jones. Alabama’s receiving corps has proved to be deep enough and effective enough that Jones hasn’t really had a breakthrough game halfway through the season. Whether it has been Mike McCoy or Marquis Maze or Darius Hanks, quarterback Greg McElroy has had targets of opportunity in every game.
Class project
Pop quiz
overall
Progress report
Grade: A+
Alabama’s linebackers have made 21 tackles for loss this season for total losses of 94 yards.
GR
Prize pupil 1. How many games has McElroy lost as a starter, dating back to his days in middle school?
Progress report
Terrence Cody was an impact player last season, but has taken his game to a higher level as a senior. The 6-foot-5, 354pound man-mountain continues to show surprising mobility. His value goes far deeper than the dozen tackles he has made.
Do the math
Skipped a grade
True freshman Johnson made his first start at weakside linebacker last week, and figures to play much more in the second half of the season.
Start with middle linebacker Rolando McClain, a consistent force all season and the soul of the unit for the last two years. McClain is leading the team in tackles (42) and is tied for the team lead in interceptions (2). Around him there has been a shuffle in every direction, but the product on the field has been very consistent. Seniors Eryk Anders and Cory Reamer have been steady, while Nico Johnson and Jerrell Harris vie to replace the injured Dont’a Hightower on the weak side.
The next step for Alabama’s offense is to finish drives with touchdowns. As effective as the Tide’s attack has been, Alabama has made it to the red zone 33 times — most in the Southeastern Conference — and settled for field goal attempts on 14 of those trips.
Do the math
Pop quiz 6. Which UA defensive lineman has the most career starts?
linebackers
Skipped a grade
Prize pupil
GR
AD Dareus is a sophomore, but he has E been playing like a veteran all season. After making four tackles in eight games last season, he has already tallied 17 stops this season while amassing 29 yards in tackles for losses.
By Tommy Deas and Chase Goodbread
quarterback
Alabama’s defensive front has been beastly so far. Terrence Cody has plugged up the middle while being more active and getting a bigger push. Ends Lorenzo Washington, Brandon Deaderick and Marcell Dareus have all made big plays at various times. Most importantly, the down linemen have been able to occupy blockers to allow UA’s massively talented linebacker corps to terrorize opponents.
There is always room for improvement, but the Tide’s defensive line has had its way for the most part this season. One thing Alabama’s front three can do better is provide more pressure on opposing passers without involving the linebackers. When Cody is able to collapse the pocket from the middle or one of the ends is able to beat his blocker, Alabama is that much more effective.
As Alabama enters the midway point of the season, it’s time to find out how the Tide grades out at each position
Grade: a
Progress report
pop quiz answers Beyond McElroy and the offensive line, several other new starters have made positive impacts. Safety Mark Barron leads the team in pass breakups and tight end Colin Peek leads the team in receptions. Where new starters are often the place to look for holes in the lineup, Alabama’s newcomers have more than held their own. Finding the flaws after six games takes a magnifying glass, with kickoff coverage being the most obvious. Opponents continue to find creases there.
Justin Woodall
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: 9:
Zero One Julio Jones with 13 receptions One Eight Brandon Deaderick has started 23 games Eryk Anders with 6.5 Justin Woodall with six Lorenzo Washington and Cory Reamer