Tag: bill obrien

Top storylines to follow in the Sugar Bowl matchup between Alabama and Kansas State

The top storylines to follow in the Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup between Alabama and Kansas State.

It has been a month since [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide took the field against an opponent and now we are just five days away from the Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup with the Kansas State Wildcats.

Both Alabama and Kansas State enter the matchup with 10 wins on the season, except one program is having one of the best seasons in school history, while the other has the taste of disappointment.

I expect both teams to be excited to show up on Saturday and try to make a statement for both the pride of their programs and their respected conferences.

Let’s take a look at a few of the top storylines to follow this week leading up to the matchup in New Orleans.

Alabama’s offensive keys to victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl

Keys to victory for Byrce Young and the Alabama offense against the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl.

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide will look to keep their very slim playoff chances alive on Saturday when they take on their arch-rivals in the Auburn Tigers.

While it’s not likely that Alabama makes the playoff, winning 10 regular season games would be a great accomplishment for the program because that would mark the 12th consecutive season of reaching that win total in the regular season.

Although Auburn only has five wins on the season, the Tigers are playing their tails off for interim head coach Carnell Cadillac Williams and this will not be an easy matchup for the Tide.

[autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag], and the rest of the Alabama offense will need to play a clean game on Saturday to avoid the monumental upset of the Tigers.

Here are the keys to victory for the Alabama offense on Saturday:

Alabama’s offensive keys to victory over Austin Peay

Keys to victory for Bryce Young and the Alabama offense against Austin Peay.

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide look to stay on track this weekend as they host the Austin Peay Governors for their final non-conference matchup of the season.

Alabama is clearly the superior team and should make quick work of the Governors but as coach Saban has spoken to several times this week, the opponent should not dictate how the players and coaches prepare or execute.

The Alabama offense has not put together a full four-quarter performance in quite some time and Austin Peay seems like the perfect opponent to build off a solid second-half performance from Oxford last weekend.

Let’s take a look at a few of the keys to victory for [autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag] and the Alabama offense.

Report Card: Grading Alabama’s 24-20 win over Texas A&M

Alabama somehow survived a four-turnover performance to get a 24-20 win over Texas A&M. Let’s take a look at how the Crimson Tide graded out on Saturday night.

Alabama did about everything they could do to lose Saturday night’s matchup with Texas A&M. Turnovers and missed scoring opportunities nearly cost the Tide against the Aggies.

Crimson Tide head coach [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] mentioned in his postgame press conference that the team would need to play better if they had any hopes of being successful next weekend when his team travels to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers.

Each week here at Roll Tide Wire we dish out our grades on all three phases of the game for Alabama and it is now time to see how the Tide faired against Texas A&M.

First..the offense…

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5 potential replacements for Alabama OC if Bill O’Brien leaves

5 potential replacements for Bill O’Brien as Alabama OC

Alabama offensive coordinator, [autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag], has already been rumored to be a top head coaching candidate for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and will only garner more interest as the season goes on. O’Brien is in his second season with the Crimson Tide and in year one he had a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and took them to a national title appearance.

Alabama currently leads the country with 7.5 yards per carry and is ranked No. 2, making O’Brien such an intriguing candidate. If O’Brien leaves for Nebraska or any other schools, here are the top five candidates to replace him.

Alabama’s coaching staff extends offer to 2023 TE, Louisville commit Jamari Johnson

Alabama extended an offer to 2023 tight end Jamari Johnson on Tuesday. Johnson is currently committed to Louisville.

Alabama already has one hard commit at the tight end position in the 2023 recruiting class in former Ohio State commit, Ty Lockwood. Now, it appears that the coaching staff could be eyeing the addition of another tight end to the 2023 class. On Tuesday, Alabama extended an offer to 2023 tight end and Louisville commit Jamari Johnson.

Johnson plays for Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California. He has been committed to the Cardinals since April. However, a program like Alabama could be able to make a move to land the big tight end. Tight ends coach Joe Cox will have his work cut out for him in Johnson’s recruitment.

Johnson is intriguing because of his stature. He has a wide catch radius and can be used in a variety of different ways in Alabama’s offense led by offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

Roll Tide Wire previews Jamari Johnson’s recruiting profile below.

Wild stat shows why 2022 is likely Alabama’s year to win it all

This has only ever happened twice in the last eight years, and Alabama won the National Championship both times. It’s happening in 2022.

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and his run with the Alabama Crimson Tide is among the greatest dynasties in the history of sports. What Coach Saban has done is far more difficult than just winning football games. Not only does he face the difficulties of losing collegiate players every three to four years, but he is constantly having to replace coaches who leave for other coaching opportunities.

Think of all the great coaches who have been assistants to Saban that ultimately left for coaching jobs: Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, Mario Cristobal and others.

For only the third time in the last eight years, Alabama will return both their offensive and defensive coordinators. Bill O’Brien remains responsible for the play-calling duties offensively while Pete Golding will continue to have full control over the defense.

The only other times that Alabama has returned its two coordinators was in 2015 and 2020. Alabama won the national title both of those seasons.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

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WATCH: Alabama QB Jalen Milroe looks jacked in workout video

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe doesn’t skip out on any days in the weight room.

Alabama backup quarterback [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] put the college football world on notice with his spectacular play in Alabama’s annual A-Day game back in April.

His performance left fans and analysts wondering how Alabama could let him ride the pine despite the return of Heisman Trophy winner, [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag]. I mean, there has to be a way for Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to come up with some sort of package that includes the incredibly gifted Milroe.

Milroe has now added to his impressiveness. A video of the redshirt freshman quarterback in the weight room has surfaced and the second-year player hasn’t waisted anytime there.

Milroe looks more like a linebacker than a quarterback if you ask me.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

Bryce Young excited to see offense grow under OC Bill O’Brien

Bryce Young isn’t hiding his excitement to work with Bill O’Brien again in 2022.

Nick Saban is used to filling assistant coaching vacancies, but he won’t have to do that for the upcoming 2022 season, as both offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and defensive coordinator Pete Golding are returning.

O’Brien had seemingly tested the waters for an NFL comeback, primarily interviewing for the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching position. The franchise decided to hire Doug Pederson instead.

So, O’Brien returns for the 2022 Crimson Tide season.

Some fans were not all too happy with his coaching decisions last season; questioning red-zone play-calls and wondering if he was fully utilizing some of his players. There was a very vocal community of fans who did not want a second season of O’Brien’s offensive plays.

However, the numbers tell a slightly different story, as does the star quarterback.

Alabama had the No. 7 total offense in the nation last season, and O’Brien coached up a true sophomore quarterback to a Heilman-worthy level.

Bryce Young is glad to have O’Brien back for another season. “Me and O.B. are really close, on and off the field. So for him to be back, it’s huge for me,” says Young.

Young is also excited to see how this season works out, stating that the offense overall should see some growth compared to last year.

“I feel like now, we’re always on the same page. And for us to continue that and push that relationship forward, it’s super exciting for me. So I’m super happy that I get another year with O.B., that he’ll be back and I’m excited for the growth of this offense as a whole.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the Crimson Tide as the 2022 offseason continues.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Spring Preview: A look at the Alabama quarterback depth chart

Previewing the quarterback situation for the Tide.

The 2021 campaign didn’t end the way that the Crimson Tide was hoping for. Alabama is gearing up for another run at the College Football Playoffs, led by star quarterback Bryce Young.

Young will have new weapons with Brian Robinson Jr, Jameson Williams, and John Metchie all heading to the NFL.

Young will have former Georgia wide receiver Jermaine Burton as well as the return of JoJo Earle and Ja’Corey Brooks. Former Georgia Tech running back Jamyr Gibbs is set to replace Robinson.

The offense will be led by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien, who returns for his second year in Tuscaloosa.

The quarterback situation is pretty similar to last year’s team. We break down the group as part of our spring preview series.