Areas of concern ahead of Alabama’s Week 3 matchup against Louisiana Monroe
Alabama hasn’t had an issue with smaller programs since Nick Saban first arrived. With that said, the Tide did lose at the hands of Louisiana Monroe back in 2007. Since then, the Tide hasn’t dropped a similar game.
Coach Saban treats all of his opponents the same regardless of their record or the conference they play in. Recently, the Warhawks haven’t seen much success. That didn’t stop Saban from speaking out about the Tide’s Week 3 opponent in his most recent press conference. Here is what Saban had to say regarding the Warhawks:
“No player should be worried about the opponent, they should be enamored with the success of themselves and their team. Your opponent, the score, all of that shouldn’t affect your motivation going into a game.”
WVUA Sports’ Alex Boothe was one of the first to report on Saban’s comments.
Today, Roll Tide Wire will look at some of the areas of concern heading into Alabama’s Week 3 matchup vs. Louisiana Monroe.
Containing the Warhawks' air attack
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Louisiana Monroe’s starting quarterback Chandler Rogers managed to complete 14 of the 19 passes that he threw against Texas. Then, he followed that up with an impressive Week 2 performance against Nicholls State. He went completed 20 of the 25 passes that he threw. Altogether, he has completed 77.3% of his passes after the first two weeks of the season. Alabama’s secondary won’t be able to have many hiccups with Rogers behind center.
Allowing chunk plays
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama’s secondary allowed a few chunk plays last week in Austin. Wide receivers Jordan Whittington and Xavier Worthy combined for 12 receptions and 161 receiving yards. That will have to change in Week 3. Not to mention, Texas’ running game was held in check for the most part. They will have to continue to do so against the Warhawks.
Sustaining blocks
Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama had trouble containing Texas’ edge rushers this past weekend. The Longhorns had two sacks and seven quarterback hurries. The offensive line will have to block better this weekend. It is definitely one of the Tide’s main concerns as they approach their matchup against the Warhawks.
Penalties
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK
Alabama had 15 penalties called on them this past weekend for 100 total yards. That is the highest amount that an Alabama team has had under Nick Saban. This week will need to be different for the Tide on both sides of the ball. Penalties are drive killers and will come back to bite Alabama later on in the season. It is something to keep an eye on this weekend.
Getting a pass rush
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Alabama hasn’t put as much pressure as expected on opposing quarterbacks this season. That will need to be solved soon. The Tide has three sacks in two games. They also only had just one quarterback hurry this past weekend against Texas. The Warhawks have a dua-threat quarterback, so it is crucial that the defensive line is able to get a pass rush.
