Did Nick Saban consider running QB sneak on 1st and Goal snafu?
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Did Nick Saban give any thought to putting Jalen Milroe under center on 1st and Goal at the 1? The Alabama head coach was asked about the disastrous sequence that ended with a 40-yard field goal attempt rather than an easy, 1-yard rushing touchdown.
“There’s a lot of thought about that,” Saban said on Monday of Mississippi State week. “… I agree with you that, at a time when it’s 1st and 1 on the 1, why do you need to be in the gun?”
One play after Ja’Corey Brooks blocked an Ole Miss punt and Alabama took over at the Rebels’ 1-yard line. Milroe couldn’t handle a poor snap from center Seth McLaughlin, and rather than have 1st and Goal at the opposing team’s 1, the Crimson Tide lost 13 yards and then eight more on the next two plays before Will Reichard tried a 40-yard field goal, which he made.
Saban was asked where Alabama could improve after evaluating the snafu inside the 5.
“It was not smart on our part to do what we did, and then to get a bad snap after all that,” Saban said. “But still – I’m not defending anybody – but with better execution, we shouldn’t have snapped the ball over the quarterback’s head, and we’ve got to get on the same page with the snap count.”
The play occurred midway through the second quarter, and Saban had timeouts to use. We’ve seen the Crimson Tide head coach choose to call one in a similar situation before, on the road at Mississippi State when Bryce Young lined up in a shotgun formation near the goal line. Saban used a timeout to go with more of a jumbo package that led to a short touchdown.
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Alabama isn’t avoiding the quarterback sneak. We saw Milroe run it on what was initially thought to be a 3rd and Inches but the chain gang was slow to signal first down. That said, the play is in Tommy Rees’ arsenal, and the 6-foot-2, 220-pound quarterback is confident in running it.
“I have a lot of confidence in our offensive line,” Milroe said. “All the guys up front do a very good job for us, and no matter what set of offense that we’re in, under center or in the shotgun, I have all faith in them. So no matter the play call, I’m super confident just to be able to take snaps with them. So whether it’s an under-center snap or a shotgun, I’m super confident.
“With the quarterback sneak, I trust those guys up front to give a good push. I have full confidence in them.”
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