{"id":8611,"date":"2017-09-17T10:01:24","date_gmt":"2017-09-17T14:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=8611"},"modified":"2017-09-16T21:41:36","modified_gmt":"2017-09-17T01:41:36","slug":"alabama-special-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2017\/09\/17\/alabama-special-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Alabama Special Teams: A Special Part of the Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

If it weren\u2019t for Alabama\u2019s Special Teams…<\/span><\/h1>\n

A vast number of College Football pundits, Tide fans, opposing fans, and others have used the phrase \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Bama\u2019s special teams\u2019 play\u201d ad naseum throughout the past year. So let’s for a minute pretend that Alabama<\/strong>\u2019s offense is riddled with 5 stars and the SEC Offensive Player of the year at quarterback. Let\u2019s pretend non-offensive touchdowns– or NOTS – haven\u2019t become as much a part of Alabama\u2019s consistent strategy as the Hurry Up No Huddle (HUNH) offense was for Auburn in 2011. The fact would still remain, Alabama\u2019s special teams is exhibiting a type of dominance on the football field rarely seen in sports. So, Alabama must continue to make plays on special teams consistently, whether they are playing LSU<\/strong> or Fresno State.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is no longer a fluke<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It is no longer a fluke, a lucky play or even a a play that was just practiced.. Now, it was all hands on deck when it comes to covering kickoffs, punts, field goals and everything else. Point in case: Alabama\u2019s huge blocked field goal last week against Florida State<\/strong>. Head Coach Nick Saban<\/strong>\u2019s only words of guidance at the moment (the rest had been implemented in practice countless time) were: <\/span><\/p>\n

“All right,\u201d Saban said, \u201clet’s go after it.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to starting RB Damien Harris<\/a> in the post-game interview:<\/span><\/p>\n

“We were bringing the house. All 11 players lining up knew it. When Florida State reached third-and-5, the group encircled special teams coach Joe Pannunzio, who relayed the call from Nick Saban.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Up by 3 \u00a0against the No. 3 team in the country late in the third quarter, Alabama needed a big play. And that came in the form of a blocked punt by the starting RB Damien Harris<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n