Your five-week wait for joyless murderball from Alabama football ended at MSU | Goodbread
STARKVILLE, Miss. − JC Latham was feeling it.
Late in the second quarter of a 40-17 win over Mississippi State on Saturday, he and Alabama football offensive guard Darrian Dalcourt absolutely buried Mississippi State defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy on a double-team. The result of the play? Something Alabama fans haven't often been treated to this season: a first-down run that went for another first down, in this case, a gain of 11 for running back Jase McClellan.
Latham, the first to his feet in the three-man pile, nodded his head as he reached out a hand to help Dalcourt off the ground.
He knew.
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This was the Alabama offensive line's best game of the season by far, and the junior right tackle had his finger on its pulse. Five plays later, Latham and brawny tight end Robbie Ouzts got behind McClellan on an 8-yard gain and shoved him forward, rugby-style, for a couple extra yards to the MSU 2.
You want joyless murderball? It took five weeks, but it made its arrival in Starkville. Did it generate a monstrous rushing day like the 280-yard explosion by Kentucky's Ray Davis earlier in the day? No. But joyless murderball can be a slower death with a duller blade, like the 43-for-193 yards rushing day Alabama posted.
The point was made more on the line of scrimmage than in the box score.
All the way from the press box, one could almost sense an exhale of relief from McClellan and backup running back Roydell Williams. Then, an inhale.
Yes, it was the oxygen of open running lanes from a legitimate, consistent push up front from the SEC's biggest, heaviest offensive line. Until Saturday, it had looked a little too heavy. But on this night, double-teams like the one Latham and Dalcourt executed gashed the Bulldogs defensive front consistently, providing breathing room for a running game that controlled the clock and got an explosive boost from quarterback Jalen Milroe. McClellan and Williams often found themselves 4 yards downfield before contact, and backfield penetration by the MSU defense was infrequent at best.
There were flashes of this effectiveness late in a win over South Florida, and again in the second half of a win over Ole Miss. But this was more of a start-to-finish downhill roll on an MSU defense that didn't have the brakes to stop it. And it was the first time Alabama's offensive line had been seen pushing anyone around with bully-like authority in a first half since its opener against Middle Tennessee State.
Lo and behold, Milroe's pass protection was strong as well. He was sacked twice on the Crimson Tide's opening drive, the first of which was on Milroe for holding onto the ball too long. Thereafter, he got to enjoy more clean pockets to work with than his line has provided in any other game this season. The result was an efficient passing night, if not a prolific one.
After being maligned like no other Alabama offensive line under Nick Saban for the last month, the Crimson Tide's front is officially showing significant signs of improvement.
And with tougher games than this one ahead, it hasn't come a moment too soon.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23 and the Talkin' Tide podcast. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Your five-week wait for joyless murderball from Alabama ended at MSU
