Official College Gameday Thread

[CoachAF]

Lots of good young running backs out there these days.

Najee Harris and Cam Akers are gonna be fucking monsters.

Najee was Alabamas highest rated RB recruit ever. Even higher than Henry. Hes gonna be good.

Every Bama fan knew how good Tua is before last night. The question was always experience. I guess he handled the big stage just fine. That throw was sexy.

#17 was sweet. Cant wait until next year. Roll Tide!

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Backup qb for Bama is a stud apparently

Who knew

I've been telling my buddy who's a Bama fan all season that Tua is superior

 

[Giantmetfan07]

The Firstrow streams for this game fucking suck.

Buffstream is the way to go

 

[CoachAF]

I've been telling my buddy who's a Bama fan all season that Tua is superior

 
Jalen went 25-2 as a starter before last night's game. Tua had an amazing 2nd half, but Jalen is a dang good QB in his own right. The play-calling changed dramatically in he 2nd half. Daboll SUCKED in the first. Offense was wayyyyyyyyy too predictable (which is what lost them the Auburn game). Jalen could make every single one of the throws Tua made. We've seen him do it. I think Jalen and his intangibles make him the better option in a big game. That's why he started. If Daboll would give him a chance to play with an open playbook, things might be different. 
 
That is not to say that Tua won't be better. He is a pass first/run second dual threat QB where Jalen trusts his legs a little more. I think Tua will THRIVE in Tuscaloosa. I just wouldnt kick Jalen to the curb. He's a dang good QB, if they would only use him better. 
 
I am just tired of people calling for Tua all year long. Nobody wants to give Jalen the credit he deserves. It will be interesting to see what happens next year. Tua is a true freshman and Jalen is a true Sophomore. They both have good years ahead of them. 

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Jalen hurts could not make all of those throws. Come on now

 

[CoachAF]

Jalen hurts could not make all of those throws. Come on now

 
Ive watched nearly every minute of every Bama game since Hurts took over. He can make those throws. Those plays werent called in the first half. Everything was a read option or a rollout....

 

[A.E]

Najee was Alabamas highest rated RB recruit ever. Even higher than Henry. Hes gonna be good.

Every Bama fan knew how good Tua is before last night. The question was always experience. I guess he handled the big stage just fine. That throw was sexy.

#17 was sweet. Cant wait until next year. Roll Tide!

 
Tua identifying Cover 2 and looking off the safety in that last play... Damn.  A year ago that kid was playing HS ball.  He was definitely ready and nobody knew it, especially UGA.  Kirby denies it but I don't think he prepared his defense to see Tua.  Either way, it make zero sense to play with a 5-yard cushion in a 2nd & 26 play.
 
Scary part is Saban is just scratching the surface with the class of 2016.  Tua, Najee, the trio of receivers, Leatherwood on the OL, Moses running the D.... It may realistically be 20 Natty's for Bama by the time Saban decides to retire.

 

[A.E]

 
Ive watched nearly every minute of every Bama game since Hurts took over. He can make those throws. Those plays werent called in the first half. Everything was a read option or a rollout....

 
Hurts regressed a ton as a QB this season.  It's not that he can't make throws, its that he doesn't give the pocket a chance.  Tua climbing the pocket and going through progressions is something Bama hasn't seen since Coker.  Hurts is what he is, a Vick-type QB, and that's okay.  God knows, Bama wouldn't have won at least a handful of games in Jalen's first two seasons without his mobility.
 
This is Tua's team now and it was meant to be that way.  Don't forget Jalen was sort of something nobody saw coming.  Barnett was expected to be the guy until he looked like a deer in headlines in the first drive against USC. 
 
Jalen will be okay though.  He handled the situation with class and nobody will hate on him for transferring.  I would love to see him at TCU or maybe even Baylor. 

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Jalen will be okay though.  He handled the situation with class and nobody will hate on him for transferring.  I would love to see him at TCU or maybe even Baylor.

He should just switch positions. He's a good enough athlete to make it work. He'd never make it as a QB in the NFL.

 

[bosoxlover12]

Yeah his footwork and posture is awful for a QB
 
Denard Robinson 2.0 (except not as good)

 

[CoachAF]

It's funny. Because that couldn't be further from the truth. What cracks me up are all these media types talking about this is right and this is wrong. This is how these players should act....The truth is a lot fo them have their journalism degrees from Syracuse and Virginia, but few of them have broken the huddle or stood on a sideline. They have no clue what really goes on in a locker room or on a practice field. They love to latch on to a few terms and ricks they have seen as they watch from a booth or TV. They love to use catch phrases like 'look off a receiver' and 'angle of attack'. These people have attacked Hurts from the moment he took his first snap. They focus on what they think he should be as a QB, instead of what makes him a great QB. 25-2 as a starting QB. That's all you need to know.
 
If you can watch film of Jalen Hurts and think that his footwork is awful, then you have no clue what you are talking about. His footwork is very solid. They problem lies in his head. His head trusts his feet too much at times and causes him to scramble. Unfortunately, tape has shown that he loves to scramble right and defenses latched on to that later in the season. They knew where Jalen would go if they brought pressure up the middle or from the right side. 
 
The problem with the Alabama offense wasn't Jalen, the problem was with the play-calling. When opponents found a way to attack Jalen and his weaknesses, Daboll and the offensive minds didn't change what they did. At all. They called the same BS read react draw plays and occasional pitch down he field to Ridley. The talk last off-season was the development of Jalen, but then they change nothing about the style of offense. How is he supposed to grow if you don't give him something new to learn?
 
I am not going to pretend to know what goes on behind the scenes or on the sidelines. I don't. But as a coach, watching the way that game was called. The playbook in the second half was a complete 180 from the first half. They opened it up and ran plays they haven't called all year long. You can argue that Tua is better suited for that, but Jalen can make all those plays as well. They just kept him in a box, and didnt allow him to do it. That's how Saban wants it though. Play conservative and let your defense take over. 
 
Not as good as Denard Robinson??? Asinine. A joke. 

 

[elcheato]

lol you don't have to be in the huddle of a college football game to be able to study footwork on a QB

Basing your opinion on the record of a QB is pretty hilarious, especially one at Alabama where they could put any stiff back there and still win games

 

[A.E]

I am not going to pretend to know what goes on behind the scenes or on the sidelines. I don't. But as a coach, watching the way that game was called. The playbook in the second half was a complete 180 from the first half. They opened it up and ran plays they haven't called all year long. You can argue that Tua is better suited for that, but Jalen can make all those plays as well. They just kept him in a box, and didnt allow him to do it. That's how Saban wants it though. Play conservative and let your defense take over. 

I think the Shoelace comparison is a generalization.  I've watched every minute of Alabama football, to include the Spring games, over the past 5 years.  That said, I can now say with confidence that Jalen regressed as a passer this season.  I do blame the coaches for that, but I also think this was bound to happen eventually.  Jalen wasn't supposed to be the guy, (Barnett), but like Coach says, he took over and won games. 
 
Few coaches care how games are won...but Saban does.  Saban is old school and while he likes to pound the ball, I know its been aggravating to have to rely on so many QB runs.  Saban brought in Kiffin and allowed him to run an offense at Bama that had never been ran before.  It worked and they won 25 games with Jalen under center.  It's hard to bench a guy who's winning as much, even though the backup QB has way more potential at the position.
 
Jalen needs to develop patience in the packet and learn to climb the ladder.  And when he scrambles, the head and eyes need to be downfield and looking to make something out of a broken play.  This is what made douchebag Mayfield so dangerous. 
 
No doubt the playbook opened up in the 2nd half because not only was Bama playing catch-up but Tua is the downfield passer that Jalen is not.  Could the staff have done a better job developing Jalen as the downfield passer, sure, but why bother when Tua is standing there?  Alabama's offense has a much higher ceiling with Tua under center than Hurts.  I loved to watch Hurts play but defenses have long started scheming against his mobility and it was time for Saban to employ the young QB with an arm.
 
Jalen is still young and weather he stays at Bama or decides to transfer, he's got a ton of big plays left in him at the collegiate level.

 

[CoachAF]

I think the Shoelace comparison is a generalization.  I've watched every minute of Alabama football, to include the Spring games, over the past 5 years.  That said, I can now say with confidence that Jalen regressed as a passer this season.  I do blame the coaches for that, but I also think this was bound to happen eventually.  Jalen wasn't supposed to be the guy, (Barnett), but like Coach says, he took over and won games. 
 
Few coaches care how games are won...but Saban does.  Saban is old school and while he likes to pound the ball, I know its been aggravating to have to rely on so many QB runs.  Saban brought in Kiffin and allowed him to run an offense at Bama that had never been ran before.  It worked and they won 25 games with Jalen under center.  It's hard to bench a guy who's winning as much, even though the backup QB has way more potential at the position.
 
Jalen needs to develop patience in the packet and learn to climb the ladder.  And when he scrambles, the head and eyes need to be downfield and looking to make something out of a broken play.  This is what made douchebag Mayfield so dangerous. 
 
No doubt the playbook opened up in the 2nd half because not only was Bama playing catch-up but Tua is the downfield passer that Jalen is not.  Could the staff have done a better job developing Jalen as the downfield passer, sure, but why bother when Tua is standing there?  Alabama's offense has a much higher ceiling with Tua under center than Hurts.  I loved to watch Hurts play but defenses have long started scheming against his mobility and it was time for Saban to employ the young QB with an arm.
 
Jalen is still young and weather he stays at Bama or decides to transfer, he's got a ton of big plays left in him at the collegiate level.

I agree with a lot fo what you said. If you watched A-Day the last two years then you have seen Jalen throw the ball down the field, and very well...Now, I dont know what to do with spring game performances because half of me thinks that the guys earn their stats, and the other half tells me that coaches call plays to make guys look good for the fans. Meh, either way he has looked good going deep, but just not against the good defenses. But again, a lot of that is due to Saban's ULTRA conservative style. There's a reason Hurts has like 1 or 2 INT's this season. 
 
Don't get me wrong in any of my comments, I believe that Tua is the better QB and should be the starter in the Fall. I just have gotten tired of the media and the fans ripping Jalen as if what he did isnt damn impressive. Dude went 25-2 in 2 years in the SEC. Name one other guy who has matched that the last 10 years? Tebow was the last, I think.
 

lol you don't have to be in the huddle of a college football game to be able to study footwork on a QB

Basing your opinion on the record of a QB is pretty hilarious, especially one at Alabama where they could put any stiff back there and still win games

 
This is laughable. Look at Clemson and tell me that the QB doesnt make a difference. That Clemson defense was just as good his year as it was the last. Lots of NFL talent for them on that side of the ball. Even on great teams the QB makes a difference. Look at LSU the last decade. They have had some pretty good teams, but havent had any better than a Danny Etling under center.Even on championship caliber teams, the QB makes a big difference. The record does matter. 

 

[bosoxlover12]

Is it laughable when in 9 of the past 10 years theyve minimally made the Sugar Bowl, with starters like John Parker Wilson, Greg McElroy, AJ McCarron, Blake Sims, Jake Coker, & Jalen Hurts?

 

[CameronCrazy06]

I agree with a lot fo what you said. If you watched A-Day the last two years then you have seen Jalen throw the ball down the field, and very well...Now, I dont know what to do with spring game performances because half of me thinks that the guys earn their stats, and the other half tells me that coaches call plays to make guys look good for the fans. Meh, either way he has looked good going deep, but just not against the good defenses. But again, a lot of that is due to Saban's ULTRA conservative style. There's a reason Hurts has like 1 or 2 INT's this season. 
 
Don't get me wrong in any of my comments, I believe that Tua is the better QB and should be the starter in the Fall. I just have gotten tired of the media and the fans ripping Jalen as if what he did isnt damn impressive. Dude went 25-2 in 2 years in the SEC. Name one other guy who has matched that the last 10 years? Tebow was the last, I think.
 
 
This is laughable. Look at Clemson and tell me that the QB doesnt make a difference. That Clemson defense was just as good his year as it was the last. Lots of NFL talent for them on that side of the ball. Even on great teams the QB makes a difference. Look at LSU the last decade. They have had some pretty good teams, but havent had any better than a Danny Etling under center.Even on championship caliber teams, the QB makes a big difference. The record does matter. 

And Clemson was a top 4 team in the country yet again?

 

[CoachAF]

And Clemson was a top 4 team in the country yet again?

 
yet they clearly were inferior to Alabama. The difference might be slight, but for teams that  are of a championship caliber the QB is oftentimes the determining factor for success. Clemson's only loss was one where their QB went down in the first half. 
 
To say that anybody can fit in that role and go 25-2 is just dumb. There are multiple games that Jalen won for Alabama on his own. People so quickly forget that he had a hell of a game last year against Clemson. He did everything he could to win it. DeShaun was just 'that' much better and happened to have the ball last. 

 

[CoachAF]

Is it laughable when in 9 of the past 10 years theyve minimally made the Sugar Bowl, with starters like John Parker Wilson, Greg McElroy, AJ McCarron, Blake Sims, Jake Coker, & Jalen Hurts?

 
But that minimizes what these guys actually did in their careers. Are we going to sit back and pretend like they didn't work their butts off to have he success they did? McElroy and Wilson were nobodies on the recruiting landscape and they both won a national title under center. They came in and did what they were asked to do, and much more. Who's to say that anybody could have done that? Great coaching has A LOT to do with why guys like Jalen Hurts wen't from decent recruits to the SEC offensive player of the year as a Freshman. 
 
And all this kind of deviates from my real point that the record of a QB does matter. There's plenty of highly touted recruits that don't go in and find success. It doesn't happen much at Alabama recently because of the level of coaching that goes on. But Hurts earned that record just as much as the rest of he team did. 

 

[bosoxlover12]

Your bias about Alabama is seriously clouding your judgement. 
 
In 2014, the Crimson Tide were the #1 team in the country entering the bowl games (lost to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl) and were led by a quarterback named Blake Sims. Blake Sims has made it as far as being a practice squad RB for the Bucs right now.
 
You can literally put anybody at QB and they'll do well. Its in Saban's defensive recruiting to have a strong team

 

[CoachAF]

Your bias about Alabama is seriously clouding your judgement. 
 
In 2014, the Crimson Tide were the #1 team in the country entering the bowl games (lost to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl) and were led by a quarterback named Blake Sims. Blake Sims has made it as far as being a practice squad RB for the Bucs right now.
 
You can literally put anybody at QB and they'll do well. Its in Saban's defensive recruiting to have a strong team

 
I agree that most QB's would do well in Alabama's system. I think that argument is separate though from what my original point was. 
 
Original Point: Jalen Hurts is a lot better than people give him credit for. He led his team to a 24-2 record and 2 national title games. 
 
Using the argument that anybody could do that is pointless. We have no basis of comparison to prove it true or false. It's my opinion that Alabama in 2015 with Blake Barnett at QB would not have made it to the title game. He was unimpressive in the A-Day game. We will never know, but Jalen won so many games in 2015 with his big plays. Jalen's ability to remain calm in pressure situations is unparalleled the last 2 years. I feel like his positive attributes are often swept under the rug because he doesnt fit the mold of what people consider to be a successful QB. 
 
Using NFL success to show talent is apples to oranges IMO. The college game is so different from the NFL. Sims also ran a different offense than Jalen did this year. It had similarities, but there was a lot more screens and short passes under Kiffin than we saw with Daboll.