Alabama came up short in their 27-20 overtime loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Monday in Pasadena, Calif., and they had one consistent issue that plagued their offense throughout the game.
The Crimson Tide struggled to snap the ball in shotgun sets all game, which was a continuation of problems that presented all season long. Center Seth McLaughlin kept snapping the ball to Jalen Milroe very low, making it difficult for the Alabama quarterback to operate.
The issue was obvious early in the third quarter when McLaughlin’s low snap caused Bama to lose 14 yards.
Alabama center cant snap a ball for his life, all the snaps going below the knees pic.twitter.com/RCQFCjF0iL
— FootballSZN (@FtballSZN) January 2, 2024
The ball was frequently delivered from McLaughlin to Milroe off the mark. Even on Alabama’s last play of the game, a 4th-and-goal in overtime, the snap was low.
4th-and-goal. Overtime. An opportunity to advance to the National Championship.
This is the stuff you dream of. pic.twitter.com/DRZp7s7Ow1
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) January 2, 2024
Bad snap on the final play doomed the timing of the run. It was there if Milroe had a good snap and could hit the run where it was intended. Would have been tough but there’s a path with the widest guy going so far upfield. pic.twitter.com/khi61nHDV1
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 2, 2024
Those who have watched Alabama’s offense all season know that the snaps from McLaughlin have been a problem. Milroe could overcome some of those issues, but when facing a defense like Michigan’s, there was not much margin for error. The Wolverines’ defensive line was a strength of the team all season and overpowered Alabama’s offensive line during the game. Not having the center-to-quarterback exchange down hurt Bama’s offense and put them at a disadvantage.
