Nick Saban calls for all around improvement from Alabama offense

Alabama football coach Nick Saban was not happy with the performance from his offense in Saturday’s 24-20 victory against Texas A&M. With quarterback Bryce Young sidelined with injury, the Crimson Tide committed four turnovers, three of which came from backup quarterback Jalen Milroe.

In his Monday press conference, Saban was asked specifically about the performance of the receivers from Saturday. However, he refused to single any one position out, saying the entire offense has work to do.

“No one’s standing here blaming the receivers for anything,” Saban said. “I think we all need to self-assess. The only way you learn is when you make a mistake, you listen, you learn, you improve and you don’t make the same mistake again. We need to play better at all positions on offense relative to what we did in the last game, and I think most of the players would probably tell you the same.

“So I can’t really say the receivers didn’t do what they were supposed to do. Could they do it better? Absolutely. Could we get better play at every position whether it’s quarterback, wide receiver, whatever? Absolutely. So that’s what we’re trying to focus on so we can have more consistency running the ball and passing the ball.”

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Alabama leaned heavily on the run Saturday, totaling 51 rush attempts to just 19 pass attempts. Despite this, all three of its touchdowns came through the air. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the lone bright spot, finishing with 154 yards rushing on 21 carries and three catches for 13 yards.

But while Saturday’s offensive performance left much to be desired, it hasn’t been the norm this season for the Crimson Tide. They still rank second in the SEC in points per game (44.3) and third in total offense (503.7 yards per game).

Realistically, the Crimson Tide were playing without their starting quarterback Saturday, so it only makes sense that they wouldn’t be as sharp as usual. Once Young returns from his injury, the Alabama offense should return to its typical form, the way Nick Saban wants.

The Crimson Tide will hope that can be this week, as they prepare to face No. 6 Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Knoxville.