Alabama lost most of its key skill position offensive players from the 2020 National Championship team. The expectation is that the Crimson Tide’s offense will continue to roll despite losing a quarterback, running back and wide receivers who were first-round picks. There is one stat that is daunting for the Miami football team.
Alabama enters the 2021 season with 24 straight games scoring at least 30 points. The Crimson Tide was last held under 30 when Clemson shockingly blew out Alabama 44-16 in the College Football Playoff Championship Game the end of the 2018 season. Alabama has been held under 40 only five times in the last two seasons.
The Crimson Tide also has nine games over 50 points and four over 60 the last two seasons. Alabama head coach Nick Saban who rose in his coaching career as a defensive guru has realized the proliferation of sophisticated offenses in college football is critical to competing for national championships.
No one has competed for National Championships more frequently or with a greater level of success in the last 15 years than Saban. Saban knew he had to adjust on offense or Alabama would fall behind programs playing up-tempo spread offenses as the Miami football team does now under coordinator Rhett Lashlee.
"“It’s challenging as a defensive guy to be able to adapt and adjust to the way the game is played now, but I think the rules in college football have sort of ignited the change throughout the game…Blocking three and a half yards downfield on a pass play which leads to RPOs is a dramatic change in the way you play football.You need to be spread out to do that. To be able to block downfield on a pass behind the line of scrimmage, which is just a rule that applies in college football, changes the game in terms of how you throw screens and how you pick people and run people in the flat. Those are real challenging things to try and defend.They all create tremendous run, pass conflicts for defensive players…We changed on offense because, as good a defense as we had, when we played Ole Miss and some of these spread teams that ran RPOs, they scored points against us…We would lose the game 44-41.I’m saying, ‘we’ve got to change our style and be able to out-score people.’"
Alabama has certainly been able to outscore people. The Crimson Tide was second nationally in 2020 averaging an incredible 48.5 points per game playing an all-SEC schedule plus playoff games against Notre Dame and Ohio State. Alabama was stout defensively by modern standards allowing 19.4 PPG.
Notre Dame is the only team in the last two seasons to hold Alabama under 35 points. The Crimson Tide defeated the Fighting Irish 31-14 in the Rose Bowl that was the National Semifinals in the College Football Playoff. The Miami football team has not contended well in big games against high-powered offenses in recent years.
In their three losses in 2020, Miami allowed 141 points for an average of 47 points per game. Miami is not going to win a game against Alabama or most teams allowing 47 points. The Hurricanes defense needs to show improvement on Saturday to compete with Alabama.