PASADENA, California – Alabama football center Seth McLaughlin had a case of the bad snaps in 2023.
It lasted up until the very end of the season, on the last play against Michigan. His issues getting the ball to quarterback Jalen Milroe continued popping up. It wasn’t every snap, but it happened far too often for a collegiate center at a program like that of Alabama.
Why did he continually struggle so much to complete the fundamental task that’s paramount for the position he plays? That question persisted. And it wasn’t a new role. It was a position he played in seasons past. McLaughlin didn’t just move there in 2023.
It has perplexed anyone watching the Alabama football offense all season. Whenever it seemed like McLaughlin had ditched the nasty habit, it would happen again.
Just in the Rose Bowl, McLaughlin first had two poor snaps that stalled the offense on an otherwise productive drive to start the second half. Then, in the moment when Alabama could least afford a bad snap, McLaughlin sent the ball low to Milroe on fourth-and-3 with the season on the line. It appeared to affect Milroe, and he was ultimately tackled short of the goal line. That sent Michigan to the College Football Playoff championship and Alabama back home to Tuscaloosa.
Few answers have been offered via interviews throughout the season, and that didn’t change after the Rose Bowl; McLaughlin didn’t take part in any postgame interviews with reporters during an open locker room period. So, the mystery spills over into the offseason as to why McLaughlin never could quite figure out how to get consistent and alleviate worry for the offense.
It’s fair to speculate, though, that no one is frustrated about it more than McLaughlin.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/thoughts-alabama-c-seth-mclaughlin-101518751.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-01-03 10:15:18
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