Monday Morning QB: Alabama's ground game surges, defense folds at Ole Miss
Some weeks we have to dig deep to unearth the bad stuff.
Other times we watch Alabama's defense "play" Ole Miss.
Still, it's not all terrible.
Alabama won on Saturday and Tony managed to work in a reference to Beyoncé.
Oh and I guess we found a few good things to highlight as well. We just had to look at the offensive tape, because that defense was just. ... you'll see what I mean.
GOOD (and DIFFERENT): Najee Harris going the distance
In his first two games, Harris' longest run of the year was 18 yards. In fact, only four of his 29 runs (13.8 percent) gained at least 10 yards. That's in large part because he was averaging only two yards after contact.
On Saturday, six of Harris' 23 carries (26.1 percent) picked up at least 10 yards. Twice, he broke away for long touchdowns of 33 and 39 yards. Plus, Harris picked up 100 of his 206 total rushing yards after contact for an average gain of 4.4 yards after first contact.
While his efforts against Ole Miss were great, they weren't unusual for Harris.
Last season, he gained 10-plus yards on 46 of his 207 attempts (22.2 percent) and averaged four yards after contact.
GOOD: Runs to the left side
To the left, to the left. All the biggest runs on the night to the left.
Maybe Steve Sarkisian is a fan of Beyonce. Although it’s more likely Alex Leatherwood is just an irreplaceable asset to Alabama’s run game. Either way, Alabama dominated on runs to the left side Saturday night.
The Tide gained 221 of its 314 rushing yards on runs to the left against Ole Miss. Its biggest running lane came around the left end as it racked up 123 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries. Runs between the tight end and left tackle also proved fruitful as backs broke through that hole seven times for 61 yards and a score.
Leatherwood led all Tide linemen with an 84.6 run-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus. The performance was a big step up from the Week 2 game against Texas A&M where the starting left tackle recorded a pedestrian 50.1 run-blocking grade.
BAD: Alabama still struggling to cover TEs and RBs
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