Report Card: Grading Alabama’s dominating 56-7 win over MTSU
Nick Saban and the Alabama football team got off to a good start in 2023 with a dominating 56-7 win over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday night from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
After missing out on the playoffs in 2022, the offseason was filled with question marks and uncertainty at some position groups, most notably quarterback.
Redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe did his best to silence those critics with an impressive performance on Saturday night. Making his second career start for the Tide, Milroe made history by becoming the first Alabama quarterback to throw for three touchdowns and run for two in one game.
Now that the dust has settled, it is time to bring back our Alabama Report Card and give our grades for the Crimson Tide’s performance in all three phases of the game.
Let’s roll!
Overall Grade: A
Overall you have to be pleased with Alabama’s performance on Saturday night. Execution was clean and both sides of the ball displayed a ton of toughness and physicality. Obviously, there is room for improvement but there were no special teams blunders and the offense put up a lot of points while the defense did not. Pretty solid start for the Tide in 2023.
Offensive Grade: A
Offensively Alabama executed the gameplan rather impressively. As we mentioned earlier, Milroe made plays with both his arm and his legs and controlled the game for the Tide. The offensive line was good, but not great. The receivers did a good job of creating separation while Amari Niblack displayed that he is a mismatch nightmare at tight end. There are still some kinks to work out, but Tommy Rees has to be pleased with his bunch.
Defensive Grade: A
Alabama surrendered just 211 yards and allowed only seven points against the Blue Raiders. Kevin Steele brought an attacking and suffocating defensive plan on Saturday night and MTSU struggled to get anything going consistently. Alabama also forced a couple of turnovers which was a point of emphasis heading into the 2023 season.
Special Teams Grade: A
It was business as usual for the Alabama special teams. Kool-Aid had a couple of nice punt returns, Will Reichard and Conor Talty combined to connect on all eight of the Crimson Tide’s extra points, and James Burnip averaged an impressive 46.3 yards per punt. Mark it down now, Alabama’s special teams will be the difference in at least one game this season.
Up Next: Texas
Alabama will host the Texas Longhorns next Saturday night from Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide won a nail-bitter last season in Austin, 20-19.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire throughout the week as we get you primed and ready for the massive showdown in T-Town.
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