Alabama vs Ohio State: Grading The Crimson Tide’s Performance

It is not often a team scores 35 points and still receives a below average grade. Alabama scored two of its touchdowns off of turnovers while a third came after a few desperation plays fell in their favor. Lane Kiffin, who was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, was highly criticized for not going to the ground game more often. The criticism Kiffin received is warranted because of Blake Sims' struggles in the pocket. Ohio State's containment of Amari Cooper caused Sims to force throws. Sims threw three interceptions including one that was taken back for a Buckeye score.

When Kiffin did rely on the ground game, it worked out in his favor. Derrick Henry ran for 95 yards on just 13 carries while also adding a touchdown. Unfortunately, failure to execute in the passing game forced the Crimson Tide to pass even more, so Henry and T.J. Yeldon saw minimal action. The inability to convert on third down (2-13) only made matters worse as Kiffin tried to establish a game plan that would work.

Alabama also failed to execute up front when it mattered most. Ohio State did an excellent job of getting in the backfield and pressuring Sims. The usually agile Sims was sacked three times in the second half. The Buckeyes disruption of the offensive line was just the beginning of a great defensive performance despite allowing 35 points. Many times this season the Crimson Tide overcame adversity in route to victory. On Thursday night in New Orleans, the mistakes were just too great to overcome.

While this is not the way you want to close out the season, Tide fans should be inspired by Blake Sims ability to overcome all odds and carry his team to the first ever playoff. It was not a storybook ending, but it certainly was a dream season for Sims and the rest of the offense.

Defensive performances like the ones we saw on Thursday night are the kind of performances that leave us with mixed feelings. On one hand, the Tide stepped up in the red zone early in the game to force two field goals, while also forcing two turnovers that allowed Alabama to take a 21-6 lead. On the other hand, OSU running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 230 yards including an 85-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that ultimately put the game out of reach.

Early on, the defense managed to rattle quarterback Cardale Jones and forced him to throw the ball away. In fact, the defense played a near-perfect game on first and second down plays. Jones' ability to convert on third downs plagued Kirby Smart's defense all night. The Buckeyes had 10 third conversions on 18 attempts. A whopping 70 percent of those conversions came on 3rd and 6 or more. Elliott put up the numbers, but Jones' running and throwing ability was even more lethal.

Injuries only made things worse for the Tide's defense. Linebackers Reggie Ragland and Denzel Devall left the game with injuries. The biggest blow came when an already weak secondary lost All-American safety Landon Collins to a shoulder injury. Collins is arguably the most versatile player on defense, and many of the Buckeyes' scores came on plays where he was not on the field.

It was not a great performance, but the defense did what they had to do to get Alabama back in the game. Saban still needs to focus on what changes should be made to return this defense to former glory.

You cannot help but smile at the bight future Alabama's special teams has in regards to punting and kickoff-coverage. If the Crimson Tide would have come out on top, Ray Guy Award finalist JK Scott would have also been a finalist for the MVP Award of the Sugar Bowl. Scott averaged 55 yards per punt with a long of 73 yards. Five of his seven punts were downed inside the 20 yard line. He did everything he could possibly do to put Alabama in a position to win. Scott is going to be one of the Tide's best players moving forward.

The kickoff and punt coverage teams should also receive some credit. Alabama did not gain a lot of momentum throughout the game, but a few big hits allowed did help pump them up a little bit. Most of the guys on these coverage teams are future starters on offense and defense, so that is also a positive sign moving forward.