Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Crimson Tide have a few things to work on if they want No. 19!
Despite what you may have heard from all the talking heads, Alabama still has all the opportunity in the world to win a championship this season. Win out and you are in.
Of course, that does mean beating top-ranked Georgia in the SEC Championship, but who said it was going to be easy?
Even with the opportunity still in sight, there are several areas that the Crimson Tide must clean up before competing with the best of the best in college football.
Let’s take a look at a few!
Let’s look at how the Alabama offensive position units have graded out at the halfway point of the season!
Unfortunately, we are already at the halfway point of the college football season. After last week’s loss to Texas A&M, Alabama sits at No. 5 in the country with a 5-1 record.
Since we have made it to the halfway point, it is time to give a midseason grade to each of the position groups. Today we are going to look at the offensive position groups. Let’s get started!
It’s hard to find many flaws in Bryce Young’s game at the halfway point. Young has helped carry an offense that has struggled in the offensive line at times and has also had an inexcusable amount of drops.
Two areas of improvement for Young are long ball accuracy and using his legs more to extend drives.
Even as such a young player, Young is one of the better players on the team.
Behind Young are a couple of guys in Paul Tyson and Jalen Milroe. Neither has played a ton, but when Milroe has gotten a chance, you have seen the raw potential that he has.
Brian Robinson Jr. has been flat-out dominant the last couple of weeks for the Tide. Over the last couple of games, Robinson has totaled 60 carries for 318 yards and four touchdowns.
Unfortunately, behind Robinson, there has been a couple of injuries. Jase McClellan is currently injured, and so is Camar Wheaton.
Roydell Williams and Trey Sanders will need to step up to help take some of the load off of Robinson.
Outside of Jameson Williams, this group has been really disappointing.
John Metchie, Slade Bolden, Jahleel Billingsley, Cameron Latu, and even Williams have had an inexcusable amount of dropped passes.
The group has also struggled at times to create separation from opposing defenders.
Early in the season Latu was a touchdown machine but has since fallen off a little. This group needs to step up if Alabama hopes to win the SEC and compete for another championship.
Even the great Evan Neal can’t save this group. The lack of consistency among this group has been mind-boggling.
Chris Owens has not played at the level Alabama needs there at right tackle. It is time to start wondering if Nick Saban will try different options there. Alabama is approaching a BYE week and the head coach may wait until then before making that decision.
Overall, the offensive line needs to show tremendous improvement down the stretch.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!
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.
The season has come and gone for the Alabama Crimson Tide. That means the next step is the 2021 NFL Draft and determining which players choose to leave early. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season didn’t count towards a player’s eligibility. …
The season has come and gone for the Alabama Crimson Tide. That means the next step is the 2021 NFL Draft and determining which players choose to leave early.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season didn’t count towards a player’s eligibility. That means that each player has the option to come back for another season, which adds a new wrinkle to play declarations and returnees.
In order to give fans an easy way to keep up with the players who are choosing to leave — and keep up with the ones who are choosing to return — we decided to create a NFL draft declaration tracker.
It will be updates as we learn more, but check out the information we have so far. Enjoy!
Here is a really early projection for how Alabama football’s offensive depth chart could shake out in 2021. Can the Crimson Tide repeat?
The time to celebrate another national championship under Nick Saban has come and gone. Now, it’s time to start shifting the focus to the fall of 2021, especially if Alabama is going to make another push.
The offensive side of the football has suffered a ridiculous amount of turnover. Just look at some of the player departures:
That’s a ton of production (and hardware) going out the door, but the Crimson Tide’s roster remains one of the most talented in the nation. Below is a super early projection for the depth chart.
*Note: True freshman are listed at the bottom of their respective position groups. Once we start to get an idea of where they could land on the depth chart in Year 1, we will make adjustments.
Alabama standout offensive lineman Chris Owens announced via Twitter that he will be returning to he program for his sixth season.
Alabama has already lost a handful of key players to the 2021 NFL draft, including quarterback Mac Jones, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and others.
The Crimson Tide is also expected to lose two standout offensive linemen in Landon Dickerson and Alex Leatherwood, both have first-round potential.
However, Alabama will retain Chris Owens, who is taking advantage of the additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the craziness of the COVID-influenced 2020 season.
Owens stepped up in the Crimson Tide’s two playoff games, as the team’s starting center, Landon Dickerson, went down with a knee injury. Owens did not let the team down in the emergency role.
The returning lineman writes about the opportunities he has been granted as a member of the program, and thanks those close to him.
In his five season at Alabama, Owens has won three SEC Championships, two national championships, a bachelors and a masters degree.
#BeGreat pic.twitter.com/7GQKtH1GlI
— Chris Owens (@BGChrisOwens) January 15, 2021
Alabama center Landon Dickerson was thought to be ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury agaist florida.
Alabama’s starting center Landon Dickerson suffered a brutal knee injury late in the SEC Championship game and had knee surgery, he was considered out for the remainder of the season.
Chris Owens filled in for Dickerson in the Rose Bowl win over Notre Dame.
The center in his final year of eligibility was thought to be ruled out indefinitely.
Now, in the pregame warmups for the 2021 national championship against Ohio State, Dickerson can be seen warming up in full pads.
Does this mean he is active and will play? Not necessarily, but it can’t be ruled out as a possibility.
He was snapping with backup quarterback Bryce Young.
Landon Dickerson is in full uniform and snapping to Bryce Young. pic.twitter.com/TbRyl6NZnn
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) January 12, 2021
We examine a key matchup of OSU vs. Alabama before the national championship game between Haskell Garrett and Alabama center Chris Owens.
We are continuing our look and preview of key matchups heading into the College Football national championship game between Ohio State and Alabama. It must be noted that there are rumors of some COVID-19 casualties as it relates to players perhaps being out for OSU, but we don’t know who or how many at this point.
One of the best matchups for the Buckeyes on defense is that between defensive tackle Haskell Garrett and Alabama center Chris Owens. Owens is a really solid center but was not the starter this season after losing his job to Landon Dickerson before the season started. Ownes has played this season, but primarily in a backup role and as a blocking tight end.
With Owens being thrust into a starting spot at center, Haskell Garrett presents a difficult matchup for him. Owens has a solid first punch, but may not have the experience, nor balance, for the first step and hand usage of Haskell Garrett. Alabama may slide a guard to help Owens which will help the linebackers hit gaps a little easier.
We are talking to Haskell Garrett, a defensive lineman for the #Buckeyes. I know there was some concern about that position being depleted, but here he is, on a Zoom call. pic.twitter.com/qWt6ab9hia
— Kevin Noon (@Kevin_Noon) January 6, 2021
[lawrence-related id=43656,43668]
To counter Garrett’s ability against the pass, Alabama may decide to focus on the run where Owens is a better lineman. The problem will be for Alabama if Garrett can get penetration against Owens consistently. Garrett can get disruptive and learns quickly to take advantage of a flaw once he discovers it.
If Garrett can get the penetration in the passing game, it could force Mac Jones to have to move around more, which is not his strength. Filtering Jones to the edge and have to throw on the run is where the Buckeyes could take advantage of the average arm strength of Jones. This is a key matchup that will evolve over the game and could decide the game at some point.
Ohio State football’s national championships through the years
We are only 79 days from Alabama football kicking off its season against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Alabama is set to kick off its season against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Tex.) on Sept. 5. As long as COVID-19 doesn’t alter the schedule, it will be the first time the Crimson Tide has faced USC since the dominate 52-6 win back in 2016.
With it now being June 18, that means we’re only 79 days away from football season officially being back!
After coming up just short of making its fifth-consecutive College Football Playoff experience, Alabama will look to bounce back in 2020 with a strong roster and returning coaching staff.
Redshirt senior Chris Owens, one of the most seasoned offensive linemen on the roster, currently wears the No. 79 for the Crimson Tide. After losing his starting job midway through last season due to injury, Owens will look to reclaim one of the top five spots.
Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
Redshirt senior OL Chris Owens is the next man up on Alabama football’s player snapshot, which highlights each scholarship player.
As we continue through the offseason, Roll Tide Wire has decided to bring fans a quick snapshot of each scholarship player listed on Alabama’s 2020 football roster.
Each day, we’ll release two player profiles giving fans a glimpse into the players who will be available this upcoming season. Whether that’s size, classification, hometowns or recruiting rankings coming out of high school, we’ve got you covered.
Also included in each article is a quick recap letting you know what to expect from that player for the upcoming 2020 season and beyond.
Next up on the list is redshirt senior offensive lineman Chris Owens out of Arlington (Tex.).
Height: 6-3 / Weight: 315
Class: Redshirt Senior
Hometown: Arlington (Tex.)
High School: Lamar High School
HS ranking (247Sports): 4-star / No. 187 overall / No. 10 OG / No. 28 TEX
HS ranking (Rivals): 3-star / N/A overall / No. 25 OG / No. 47 TEX
Analysis: Heading into his fourth season in Tuscaloosa, Chris Owens finally got the first start of his career against Duke. Injuries somewhat stalled that momentum, and the return of Deonte Brown from suspension ultimately bumped Owens out of the starting lineup.
From there, the former Lamar High School standout doubled as depth along Alabama’s offensive line while also switching numbers from No. 79 to No. 84 and helping out as a blocking tight end on the perimeter.
With the tight end position now seemingly set, Owens will look to make the move back to the offensive line permanently, which means he’ll be in competition for that fifth starting spot alongside Alex Leatherwood, Evan Neal, Landon Dickerson and Brown.
Can Owens win the job? It’s certainly possible, but at worst, he’ll serve as valuable depth at almost every spot.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
