Report Card: Grading Alabama’s dominating Week 1 win over Utah State

Alabama handled Utah State with ease on Saturday night. Let’s take a look at how the Crimson Tide graded out in Week 1.

In a completely one-sided contest, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and Alabama dominated Utah State on Saturday night to the tune of 55-0.

[autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] led things offensively for Alabama which didn’t seem to miss a beat despite losing its leading rushing and top two receivers from 2021.

Defensively the competition level may have not been what the Tide will see in the coming weeks, but anytime you can shut out an opponent you have to feel good about your defense.

Utah State head coach Blake Anderson had nothing but positive things to say about the 2022 version of the Crimson Tide. In his postgame press conference, Anderson had this to say about Alabama:

“So, I don’t want to point fingers anywhere. We physically got out-matched most of the night. I’m sure we made some mistakes, but they weren’t glaring. … We got beat by a better football with a lot of great athletes.”

Anderson’s compliments are not that surprising considering how well Alabama played right out of the gate. So, without further ado let’s get to the Week 1 report card for the Crimson Tide.

First…the offense…

Bama Report Card: Grading Alabama’s 2021 season

Bama Report Card: Grading Alabama’s 2021 season

It was a Jekyll and Hyde kind of a season for Nick Saban and the 2021 Alabam football team. There were moments when it looked like a vintage Alabama team, but there were also moments that left you scratching your head in disbelief.

A lot of the inconsistency is understandable. The 2021 version of the Tide was not only full of youth and inexperience, but they also battled several key injuries throughout the entire season. In fact, you could make the argument that Nick Saban and his bunch squeezed about as much out the season as anyone could have hoped for.

Most programs would be incredibly happy with Alabama’s “down season” if that meant making it to the CFP national championship game. But as most of you know, Alabama isn’t most schools. The standard is high, therefore fan expectations are even higher.

Now that the season has ended and we have had a couple of days to reflect on the season, let’s take a look at the final report card for this 2021 Alabama football team.

First …the offense…

Bama Report Card: Grading Alabama’s Cotton Bowl win over Cincinnati

Bama Report Card: Grading Alabama’s Cotton Bowl win over Cincinnati

It’s been nearly 24 hours since No. 1 Alabama handled business in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic defeating No. 4 Cincinnati 27-6. So we are going to enjoy the next few hours of this victory before shifting our focus over to the Georgia Bulldogs.

As we reflect on Alabama’s win for just a little longer, I thought we could take a look at how each side of the ball graded out in the playoff semifinals.

Let’s get right to it!

First …the offense…