It’s Monday, But Football Is Coming
47,218 fans attended A-Day this past Saturday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Fans were treated to being back inside of a football stadium in the largest gathering of its kind since before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
But were the takeaways? Was it the continuous emergence of sophomore quarterback Bryce Young? Was it Alabama head coach Nick Saban's evaluation of talent? Here are 3 takeaway's from A-Day and what the future holds for the Crimson Tide.
1. Bryce Young is the real deal
For those of you who may not be sold on Bryce Young, this may be a difficult headline to read. However, Saturday proved that Young is not only ready to lead this team, but he look poised in many ways. The stat line for Young wasn't bad either completing 25 of 44 passes for 333 yards and a touchdown.
If you watched the game, Young showed several times that his poise in the pocket and the ability to escape the rush has improved. There are still some questions about his height and there are some throws he could have back, but A-Day showed that improvement is continuing and Young is ready to compete and win the opening day job.
2. Will Reichard had a tough day
Don't freak out reading this headline either, it is only a spring game and is not a true showing of what you will see in September. The junior kicker on A-Day finished with a surprising 2 of 5 kicks missing from 52, 48 and 33 yards out. When the kick truly mattered at the end of the game, however, Reichard nailed a 19 yard field-goal to win the game for the white team. Reichard had a perfect season for the Tide last year so seeing him miss kicks was tough, but nothing that cannot be improved upon and worked on for the summer before September.
3. Wide-receiver is cool, but it was the tight-end that shined
When you read this, be reminded that we have only see about 3-5 percent of the playbook thus far.
However, it was the big 59-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Young to junior tight-end Cameron Latu that was the big play of the game. The battle for wide-receiver is going to be a fun one to watch for Crimson Tide fans, but fans should rest easy knowing that tight-end is going to be a position that Young should and will lean on this season for big gains.
Yes, it's only a spring game. Yes, we haven't seen enough to know enough. Yes, we will know more in the coming days. But, the fun is just beginning. We saw some great plays and great talent this past Saturday.
It's only Monday, but football is coming..