There is still an ongoing quarterback battle waging in Tuscaloosa, despite the Alabama Crimson Tide barely squeezing by the Virginia Cavaliers on college football’s opening Saturday. Alabama never managed to lead by more than ten points, and for just a few horrifying crimson moments, actually trailed the team that went 2-10 in 2013.
The Tide felt more like The Undercurrent.
Alabama Quarterback Quandry Continues
Earlier this year, senior Blake Sims began training with quarterback coach Ken Mastrole. At first, the two worked on small tweaks to improve his passing. After the arrival of former Florida State backup Jacob Coker, their training sessions took a much more strategic, big-picture turn.
Mastrole spent time training Sims on confidence in midst of competition, poise despite pressure, and unwavering leadership both in the locker room and on the field.
Before being pulled during the final possession of last week’s game, Sims completed 24-of-33 passes for 250 yards and rushed for 42 yards. He struggled—most noticeably during the second quarter—but managed to tighten up the kinks during a string of no-huddle plays called by offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
Saban acknowledged during Monday’s press conference that Sims missed some passing opportunities to open receivers; in addition, Sims struggled to relay plays in the huddle at times, resulting in two timeouts being burned. The work has truly just begun, but whether Sims will see enough play time to perfect his performance over the next two weeks remains to be seen.
Next up on the Tide’s docket is a game against Florida Atlantic, followed by Southern Miss; both in Tuscaloosa. Bama’s matchups during Week 2 and Week 3 of college football could finally provide Sims with the chance to solidify his stance at starter, but more stumbles could lead to a Coker coup.
Coker, a senior who obviously impressed Coach Saban enough to be tapped as a potential A.J. McCarron replacement, was praised by Jimbo Fisher in Tallahassee for being “much more talented than anything they’ve had [at Alabama]…this guy is extremely talented. Arm and mind.”
As for the Tide’s head coach and his QB dilemma? In typical Saban fashion, he told reporters exactly what he thought without telling them anything at all.
“In some way, we’ll probably try to play both quarterbacks in this game,” Saban said. “I don’t know how. When I figure it out, I’m probably not going to tell you. And I don’t know if that’s important, to be honest with you.”
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