Alabama looks more disciplined than in last year’s Texas game

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Jack Hutchens

In 2022, the average FBS college football team committed 6.85 penalties per game.

In 2022, the Crimson Tide more than doubled that, 15 penalties for 100 yards, in a narrow road win at Texas.

Alabama was one of the most penalized teams in the country last year (8.3 penalties per games ranked 129th out of 131 FBS teams). The Crimson Tide look to be a lot sharper in 2023. In its first game against Middle Tennessee State, Alabama was penalized twice — once on the defense and once on special teams.

Jaheim Oatis, a sophomore defensive lineman, was the lone player on the defense to get a flag called on him and does not think it was very deserving.

“Personally, to me, I don’t think it was a flag,” Oatis said laughing. “I guess just trying to get to him aggressively, trying to show him that our D-line can get back there pretty easily.

“We did pretty good first game with the penalties we only had one (defensively). So that’s one thing we talk about every day is eliminating all the penalties and let’s get after it in the game.”

Of the 15 penalties committed against Texas last year, 11 were on the defense but the offense still understands that you must be mentally prepared. Junior right tackle JC Latham understands that attention to details is truly what separates normal plays and big plays on the football field.

“You want to understand that every single play has details within it that a yard or two off can be the difference in a play being successful or not,” Latham said.  “Penalties kind of put you behind the track and the scheme might be a little off now because instead of it being second and seven or second and six it’ll be second and 13 or 14, whatever it might be depending on the penalty.”

The Longhorns and Crimson Tide matchup in Tuscaloosa at 6:oo pm on Saturday on ESPN. Look for both teams to eliminate their mistakes to attempt to come out with the win.