Takeaways from Alabama's 2019 A-Day
Free 30-Days | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram
Forums: TOC | Recruiting with Andrew Bone | Contact Us
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The rain let up, but Alabama’s first-team defense never did. After getting outperformed by the offense earlier this spring, the Crimson Tide’s defense stood tall Saturday against an attack that ranked No. 6 in the nation last season. Led by the first-team defense, the White Team took down the Crimson Team and the first-team offense 31-17 in the annual A-Day Game.
While head coach Nick Saban is keen to point out no one really wins a scrimmage, there was still plenty to take away from Alabama’s final practice of spring camp. With that in mind, here are a few things that stood out.
Mac Jones has another big A-Day performance
For a second straight A-Day, Mac Jones stole the show at quarterback. Shaking off a slow start Saturday, the redshirt sophomore cemented himself as the Crimson Tide’s top backup, leading the White Team to victory.
Jones went three-and-out on his first possession and then was picked off on his second drive. However, he rebounded from the mistake, completing 11 of his next 13 passes to conclude the half. Jones finished the game 19 of 23 for 271 yards and two touchdowns with the lone interception. Last year, Jones earned co-MVP honors completing 23 of 35 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns and an interception.
Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa had a sloppier day working against the first-team defense. The starting quarterback finished the scrimmage 19 of 37 for 265 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He finally found the end zone late in the fourth quarter when he connected with Jerry Jeudy for a 54-yard strike over the middle.
The Heisman runner-up was arguably outperformed by his younger brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, who completed 6 of 9 passes for 93 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Fellow freshman Paul Tyson finished the day 1 of 5 for 8 yards while throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Freshman report
John Metchie had his coming out party at Alabama. The early enrollee receiver earned MVP honors after tallying five receptions for 133 yards, including a 49-yard catch from Jones.
Jones also found redshirt freshman Xavier Williams for a 22-yard touchdown right before the half to give the White Team a 17-10 lead at the break. Williams finished with two receptions with 35 yards.
Speaking of redshirt freshmen, wide receiver Slade Bolden made one of the best plays of the scrimmage when he caught a lateral pass from Tagovailoa before tossing it to fellow redshirt freshman Cameron Latu for a 31-yard gain. Bolden played quarterback in high school and severed as a quarterback on Alabama’s scout team multiple times last season. Bolden finished with a 6-yard reception to go with his pass, while Latu, a former linebacker, had two receptions for 37 yards.
Redshirt freshman running back Jerome Ford carried the ball six times for 2 yards and had two receptions for 10 yards.
Taulia had the best day of the two freshman passers. The 5-foot-11, 211-pound quarterback’s best play came when he rolled to his left to find Jaylen Waddle for a 29-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
One of Jones’ few mistakes in the first half came at the hands of a freshman. Sinking back into coverage, Shane Lee took advantage of a late pass from Jones over the middle, picking it off before returning it 18 yards to the White 30-yard line. The interception set up the scrimmage’s first touchdown five plays later as Najee Harris rumbled in from the 4-yard line.
Lee led the way on defense, leading the Crimson Team with eight tackles to go with his interception. Five-star defensive lineman Antonio Alfano had two sacks, while defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe and defensive back Scooby Carter had four tackles apiece.
Kicking game is solid
Joseph Bulovas started the afternoon with a bit of drama. After missing six extra points last season, the redshirt sophomore kicker banked his first extra point attempt off the right upright and through, drawing a sigh of relief from the crowd. The cheer was substantially louder later in the quarter when Reichard knocked in the game’s first field goal attempt from 43 yards out.
Overall, Alabama’s kicking game produced mixed results on the afternoon. Reichard’s made field goal was his only attempt of the scrimmage, while Bulovas went 1 of 3, connecting from 34 yards out while missing from 49 and 41 yards. The duo didn’t miss an extra point, with Reichard knocking in four and Bulovas making two.
The punting game was solid as sophomore Skyler DeLong averaged 47.5 yards per punt on four attempts while Reichard averaged 42.2 yards on six punts. Mike Bernier had one punt for 34 yards. DeLong showed vast improvement from last season where he lost the punting role after averaging just 34.44 yards per punt. Saturday, the sophomore had a long of 54 yards.
Inside linebackers show promise
Lee wasn’t the only inside linebacker to record an interception on the day. Sophomore Jaylen Moody put the game away for the White team in the third quarter when he stepped in front of a pass from Tyson before returning 30 yards to the end zone.
Dylan Moses and Joshua McMillon got the start for the first-team defense. Joshua McMillon finished with seven tackles, including one for a loss, while Moses had six tackles. Meanwhile, Lee’s seven stops led the second-team defense, while Markail Benton and Ale Kaho chipped in three stops apiece.
After worrying about depth in the unit earlier this spring, Alabama should be feeling a bit better following Saturday’s scrimmage.
