2013 Season Recap: To say that the Alabama Crimson Tide is coming off of a disappointing season would be an understatement. The Tide’s regular season ended on a heartbreaking loss to in-state rival Auburn Tigers in the 78th edition of the Iron Bowl. In case you need a reminder, with the score tied at 28 Chris Davis returned Alabama’s missed game-winning field goal attempt 109 yards for the game winning touchdown as time expired. This loss gave Auburn the SEC West title and cost Alabama its chance of making a National Championship appearance for the third time in as many years.
The 2013 season ended for the Tide with a loss to the underdog Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl in a game where the Tide looked flat and defeated from the jump. Nick Saban and co. just couldn’t shake off the disappointment from their loss to Auburn.
There were some changes made to the coaching staff in the offseason, highlighted by the hiring of former Southern Cal head coach Lane Kiffin as the new offensive coordinator. While this hire brings on its own set of worries given Kiffin’s less than stellar reputation, the main focus for the Tide this summer was rebuilding – loose definition for Alabama obviously – on both sides of the ball.
Offense:
The biggest concern for the Tide offense isn’t whether new OC Lane Kiffin will continue this team’s success. Kiffin is an offensive juggernaut with the pedigree to show for it. The biggest concern and area of uncertainty here is who will win the starting quarterback job. Senior QB Blake Sims has been patiently waiting for his throne atop the depth chart and finished as the top quarterback at the end of spring practice. However, with QB Jacob Coker transferring from Florida State in May, there is added competition for Sims to get the starting spot.
Alabama is always known for its depth at the running back position and this season is no different. With veterans T.J. Yeldon (SR.) and Kenyan Drake (JR.) most likely taking the one and two spots, look for Derrick Henry (SO.) and Jalston Fowler (SR.) to also contribute heavily to the running game. Henry was the silver lining of the Sugar Bowl last season, racking up 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns, proving that he could very well compete for the second back spot in this offense. Behind those four men is a long line of underclassmen waiting for any opportunity.
One thing is for certain for whoever does win the starting QB position; they will have tremendous depth to work with at the WR and TE positions. The two standouts that come to mind are junior wideout Amari Cooper and sophomore TE O.J. Howard. Cooper, whose season totals were deflated last year due to injury, should be healthy for the 2014 season. While O.J. Howard only caught 14 receptions, he put up 249 yards and two touchdowns.
Another player who Alabama could see huge numbers from this year is DeAndrew White. White had 534 yards on 32 receptions with four touchdowns last season as the third option and those numbers will significantly increase this year as does his role in the offense.
Christion Jones, the preseason All-American (all-purpose), is a small but explosive wide receiver known for his ability to make big plays on special teams. If he can bring his dynamic playmaking ability to set plays and not just kick returns, Kiffin and his quarterback to-be-named will have a field day.
Defense:
Kirby Smart will only return three starters to his stout defense this season. NG Brandon Ivory (SR), ILB Trey DePriest (SR), and SS Landon Collins (JR) are the only players with first team experience coming back. DePriest and Collins were both named to the Preseason All-SEC defensive first team and are expected to be the leaders on the south side of the ball. The Tide defense should look to make significant adjustments when playing teams that run the hurry up no huddle offense, a big obstacle for a defense that has to go up against offensive machines like Texas A&M and Auburn each year.
With the departure of C.J. Mosley and Adrian Hubbard to the NFL, there are holes to fill in the linebacker corps. Junior Denzel Devall is expected to start on the outside, while sophomore Reuben Foster is expected to start opposite DePriest. Foster has had trouble staying healthy, suffering a stinger in spring practice and a concussion in the A-Day game. Last year during fall camp, Foster reportedly knocked himself out twice while making big tackles. DePriest has some big shoes to fill as he is taking over the signal calling role on defense, formally the responsibility of C.J. Mosley.
As for the secondary, Alabama will have to replace Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix and Vinnie Sunseri, but will return playmakers Landon Collins and Jarrick Williams. The biggest offseason transition came when Geno Smith made the move from cornerback to safety, hoping to add more depth and experience for this young defense.
2014 Season: The preseason rankings have Alabama (2) ranked higher than the Auburn Tigers (6), the team that played for the title last year in the National Championship after miraculously beating the Tide. However, the last few seasons, particularly the ones where Alabama won a National Championship, had one thing in common: a very strong start. Under Saban’s command the most successful Alabama teams have started the season dominant and rolled unstoppably right out of the gate. The Tide will have to do just that to win the SEC, widely considered the best of the power conferences and has eight teams ranked in the preseason top 25.
Alabama games you won’t want to miss this season:
November 8: Alabama @ LSU
November 29: Auburn @ Alabama (Iron Bowl, potential rematch of 2013 SEC West title bout)
Something to Consider: Since 2008, when Alabama has lost two or more games in a season, they returned the following season to win the National Championship.
*Photo credits to Getty Images
