Breaking down Bryce Young's deep balls against Arkansas
Bryce Young is beginning to beat defenses deep. The Alabama quarterback threw for a school single-game record 559 yards while tossing five touchdowns during the Crimson Tide’s 42-35 victory over Arkansas. A good portion of that production came on throws downfield as Young was 4 of 6 for 164 yards and three touchdowns on passes that traveled 20 or more yards through the air, according to Pro Football Focus.
After struggling with long passes earlier in the season, the sophomore has developed his deep ball in recent weeks. Over his last four games, Young has a 377.69 passer rating on throws of 20 yards or more, completing 11 of 17 for 437 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions.
Here’s a breakdown of each of Young’s deep balls over the weekend.
Second-and-4 from the Alabama 8 | 2:57, Q1
The play: Young play-faked to running back Brian Robinson Jr. out of the shotgun before delivering a 25-yard pass to receiver John Metchie III, who ran an out route to the right sideline.
Why it worked: This play was set up by extra protection as Alabama brought in 6-foot-4, 298-pound blocking tight end Kendall Randolph on the right side, essentially forming a six-man offensive line. The unit provided ample time for the play to develop as Young was able to find Metchie in one-on-one coverage. Metchie made a nice break in his route to provide separation around the 30-yard line, and Young provided an accurate ball.
Moving back to the offensive line, left guard Javion Cohen showed a lot of athleticism, pulling to his right to pick up blitzing defensive back Joe Foucha.
Second-and-12 from the Alabama 20 | 15:00, Q2
The play: Young play-faked to Robinson out of the shotgun before delivering a 20-yard pass to Metchie in the end zone.
Why it worked: Alabama lined up in a twins wide receiver set with Jameson Williams behind Metchie to the right side. The two both started the route by crossing toward the middle of the field before Metchie broke back to the right toward the end zone.
Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown got tied up with safety LaDarrius Bishop, who was trailing Williams on the play. That allowed Metchie to gain the separation he needed. From there, Young fired a strike to the end zone for the score.
Once again, Cohen did well to pull and pick up Arkansas edge rusher Jashaud Stewart to give Young the time he needed in the pocket.
"Javo is a crazy athlete," Young said. "A lot of stuff he is able to do, along with others on the offensive line, is stuff that when you watch the film it might seem routine, it might look easy, but trust me, it’s definitely not. It’s stuff that he’s able to make look routine that’s really hard to do. He’s been playing really well all year, along with our offensive line."
Second-and-20 from the Alabama 20 | 12:01, Q2
The play: After taking a shotgun snap out of an empty formation, Young stepped up in the pocket before overshooting an open Jameson Williams on the left sideline.
Why it didn’t work: Young just missed his man here. Williams ran an excellent route, faking the post inside before cutting out to his left. Had Young hit him, Alabama would have had a first down inside the 10-yard line. Instead, the Tide was forced to punt.
Left tackle Evan Neal delivered a pancake block on Stewart, to give Young the time to step up and deliver the throw.
Second-and-14 from the Alabama 21 | 5:34, Q2
The play: Young took a shotgun snap out of an empty formation before dropping in a perfectly-placed pass over the middle to Williams for a 79-yard touchdown.
Why it worked: This is why Williams is so deadly. The speedy receiver was actually double-covered on this play, but he was still able to zip past Brown and safety Simeon Blair to get open. From there, Young delivered arguably his best ball of the day, hitting Williams in stride for the score.
Brown seemed to trip as he was closing in on Williams before the catch. However, the pass was placed so well, the Arkansas cornerback still wouldn’t have likely made a play. Arkansas only blitzed three defenders. Neal and right tackle Damieon George did well to seal off their blocks on the edge while Cohen and Darrian Dalcourt double-teamed the defensive tackle.
First-and-10 from the Arkansas 44 | 8:55, Q3
The play: Young took a snap out of the pistol formation before overshooting Metchie on the right sideline.
Why it didn’t work: Facing pressure, Young threw off his back foot, overthrowing Metchie by a few yards. George did not pick up his block on the play, allowing Foucha a clear run at the quarterback.
Had Young hit Metchie in stride, the play would have easily gone for a 44-yard touchdown. Instead, Alabama went on to miss a field goal on the drive.
Third-and-10 from the Arkansas 40 | 5:47, Q4
The play: Young took a shotgun snap, waited in the pocket and delivered a strike to hit an open Williams in the back of the end zone.
Why it worked: With Arkansas only rushing three defenders, Young had time to allow the play to develop. Once he saw Williams get past the middle safety in zone coverage, he knew he could hit the open receiver for the score. Young delivered an accurate pass, and Williams corralled it before diving out of the back of the end zone. The play ended up being the deciding score in the game.
