Penalties (by the numbers)

[WMack4Bama]

Going into this weekend's game, Alabama has 66 accepted penalties, which ranks us 129th out of 131 FBS teams (yikes!). Here's some details into the numbers:

The most prevalent penalties are as follows:

Holding : 13 (11 offensive, 2 defensive)
Pass interference: 10
Offsides: 9
False start: 8

25 of the 66 have been pre-snap penalties (offsides, false start, illegal formation, delay of game, illegal substitution).

Naming names

In-play flags
JC Latham: 4 false starts..6 total penalties on the year
Tyler Steen: 3 holding calls
Javion Cohen: 3 holding calls
Kool-Aid McKinstry: 3 Pass interference calls
Brian Branch: 3 Pass interference calls

Post play flags
JC Latham: 1 unsportsmanlike
Will Anderson: 1 unsportsmanlike
Jermaine Burton: 1 unsportsmanlike
Henry To'oTo'o: 1 personal foul/unsportsmanlike


That's............a lot. There's a lot of talk this week regarding discipline and focus. I trust them to get it right. We shall see.

 

[bamamc1]

I’d like to see how many offensive holding calls have been registered by our opponents this year. If you pay attention to what’s going on up there, I believe there haven’t been many. RTR

 

[WMack4Bama]

I’d like to see how many offensive holding calls have been registered by our opponents this year. If you pay attention to what’s going on up there, I believe there haven’t been many. RTR

This is correct. They rarely called holding on our opponents this season.

 

[bamaslammer]

I'd like to see a statistical breakdown of all SEC teams when it comes to penalties over the last 5 years. Something tells me it would be enlightening.

 

[Guido]

I’d like to see how many offensive holding calls have been registered by our opponents this year. If you pay attention to what’s going on up there, I believe there haven’t been many. RTR

The NCAA actually keeps this statistic, but it's hard to find. Alabama is at the bottom of very near it every year.

 

[bamaslammer]

The NCAA actually keeps this statistic, but it's hard to find. Alabama is at the bottom of very near it every year.

If that is the case would it not be a good for psychology students to study if these statistics can prove unconscious bias. If that ref doesn't call PI when we got that pic in the endzone we win and this game is forgotten, but he does call it, UT goes on to the latest "upset of the century" and everybody talks about that game for a quarter of a century. It's hard for me to swallow that consciously or not the ref isn't looking to call penalties on Alabama because they are so successful.

 

[TideEngineer08]

I find it ... interesting ... that our most oft called penalties are the 2 which are the most judgmental calls. Holding and Pass Interference.

False start, offsides, too many men on the field, etc, are black and white calls.

I'll let the reader decide why we are so often called for holding and PI and our opponents are not. We do get PI calls from time to time, but almost never get holding. Supposedly we have this fast and athletic front 7, yet they never get held? Completely Legit.

 

[PA Tide Fan]

Id really like to see where we rank in DPI penalties vs. the nation over the past 2-3 years. Seems like our guys have been always getting called for it for quite some time.

 

[bamaslammer]

I find it ... interesting ... that our most oft called penalties are the 2 which are the most judgmental calls. Holding and Pass Interference

I think Saban knows this is a thing and that he can't do anything about it. Which is why he preaches that Alabama must dominate their opponent. If the game is close, there are a lot of people wanting to see that upset happen and sometimes I think the refs unknowingly help it happen. I really do not think they are corrupt, but I also know humans are quit often unaware of what they do, why they do it, and they rarely initially believe they are wrong or something is their fault.

I guess in the end I wish the SEC would take seriously bad calls and start getting rid of those who most often offend. I worked a job right out of college collecting bad loan payments. I had a boss, he wasn't a very nice person, he essentially fired the lowest scoring collector every month. So 12 guys a year were shown the door. Yes he was a jerk, but guess what. We raked in the money, nobody ever wasted time, and we were as brutal as we needed to be. I'm not saying they go that severe. but if someone can't call games fairly they need to find another line of work.

 

[CoachJeff]

I have tried and tried to find a resource that has penalties broken down by team but have never had any luck. I would love to get that info. I have heard a lot of people say Bama never gets holding calls against them and it feels true, but I'd like to see the data to back that up.

A couple of stats I *can* find:

In 2022 Bama averages 14 penalties a game on the road and 6 a game at home.
In 2021 Bama averaged 8 penalties a game on the road and 6 a game at home.
In 2020 Bama averaged 6 penalties a game on the road and 6 a game at home.

So Bama is having problems on the road with penalties. The data backs that up.

In 2022 Bama's opponents average 6.4 penalties a game against Bama.
In 2021 Bama's opponents averaged 6.7 penalties a game against Bama.
In 2020 Bama's opponents averaged 5.8 penalties a game against Bama.

The median number of penalties per game this year is 6.3, so Bama's opponents are getting an average number of penalties called against them.

 

[B1GTide]

I think Saban knows this is a thing and that he can't do anything about it. Which is why he preaches that Alabama must dominate their opponent. If the game is close, there are a lot of people wanting to see that upset happen and sometimes I think the refs unknowingly help it happen. I really do not think they are corrupt, but I also know humans are quit often unaware of what they do, why they do it, and they rarely initially believe they are wrong or something is their fault.

I guess in the end I wish the SEC would take seriously bad calls and start getting rid of those who most often offend. I worked a job right out of college collecting bad loan payments. I had a boss, he wasn't a very nice person, he essentially fired the lowest scoring collector every month. So 12 guys a year were shown the door. Yes he was a jerk, but guess what. We raked in the money, nobody ever wasted time, and we were as brutal as we needed to be. I'm not saying they go that severe. but if someone can't call games fairly they need to find another line of work.

Saban also preaches to his DBs the need to keep your hands off the receivers after the initial jam. Clemson's DBs used to get called for DPI all the time because they just couldn't keep their hands off receivers.

I think that your DBs are very good, but a little handsy this year. DBs generally get handsy when they lose contact with a receiver and are trying to close the gap. And when the QB has a ton of time to operate, the DBs simply cannot stay close long enough, so they use their hands.

The easy solution - get to the QB.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Going into this weekend's game, Alabama has 66 accepted penalties, which ranks us 129th out of 131 FBS teams (yikes!). Here's some details into the numbers:

The most prevalent penalties are as follows:

Holding : 13 (11 offensive, 2 defensive)
Pass interference: 10
Offsides: 9
False start: 8

25 of the 66 have been pre-snap penalties (offsides, false start, illegal formation, delay of game, illegal substitution).

Naming names

In-play flags
JC Latham: 4 false starts..6 total penalties on the year
Tyler Steen: 3 holding calls
Javion Cohen: 3 holding calls
Kool-Aid McKinstry: 3 Pass interference calls
Brian Branch: 3 Pass interference calls

Post play flags
JC Latham: 1 unsportsmanlike
Will Anderson: 1 unsportsmanlike
Jermaine Burton: 1 unsportsmanlike
Henry To'oTo'o: 1 personal foul/unsportsmanlike


That's............a lot. There's a lot of talk this week regarding discipline and focus. I trust them to get it right. We shall see.

Honestly, as the game was about to start, I remember thinking that FINALLY we will see a game with a minimal number of penalties as I'm sure that Coach Saban had made it a point of emphasis during the practices leading up to the game. THEN we get a blocking in the back call on the opening kickoff...

 

[bamamc1]

I find it ... interesting ... that our most oft called penalties are the 2 which are the most judgmental calls. Holding and Pass Interference.

False start, offsides, too many men on the field, etc, are black and white calls.

I'll let the reader decide why we are so often called for holding and PI and our opponents are not. We do get PI calls from time to time, but almost never get holding. Supposedly we have this fast and athletic front 7, yet they never get held? Completely Legit.

And on that front 7, there quite possibly are two guys, (Anderson and Turner) that could very well end up being drafted in the 1st round over the next two drafts. Tell me how can college lineman handle these guys so easily and not have to hold?

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

We do get PI calls from time to time, but almost never get holding. Supposedly we have this fast and athletic front 7, yet they never get held? Completely Legit.

NOT ONE HOLDING CALL against the OL across from Will and Dallas this past Saturday, NOT ONE!?!?!

There is not an CFB OL in the country that is that good.

 

[TideEngineer08]

And on that front 7, there quite possibly are two guys, (Anderson and Turner) that could very well end up being drafted in the 1st round over the next two drafts. Tell me how can college lineman handle these guys so easily and not have to hold?

I do not expect to get every call. It has been said holding can be called on most every play if the refs really wanted to do that, but we all know the games would become unwatchable at that point. But to swing the other way, as they have done, makes them equally unwatchable, IMO.

 

[Guido]

NOT ONE HOLDING CALL against the OL across from Will and Dallas this past Saturday, NOT ONE!?!?!

There is not an CFB OL in the country that is that good.

A couple of years ago we played 8 SEC games and our opponents got only 1 OL holding call. How is that possible with all the talent we have had on the Dline. I've said it before but I don't believe it's a conscious act by the refs, it's just embedded in their brains that bama is better and it doesn't need the calls, even if they are warranted. Reminds me of the old hack-a-shack defence. The ref would see an obvious foul but wouldn't call it.

 

[WMack4Bama]

Some other info...Penalties/game and Penalty yards/game for every season under Saban

 

[BamaNation]

Through WK7 each season	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
Alabama	66	54	27	45	44
Arkansas	49	57	24	38	40
Auburn	46	40	30	44	39
Florida	37	49	14	39	56
Georgia	28	39	32	43	43
Kentucky	38	32	16	39	45
LSU	45	30	15	32	41
Mississippi State	48	49	22	32	30
Missouri	47	48	15	39	36
Ole Miss	42	60	21	38	60
South Carolina	34	54	18	39	44
Tennessee	48	41	25	30	33
Texas A&M	38	49	24	38	47
Vanderbilt	36	39	10	41	38

 

[Con]

Some other info...Penalties/game and Penalty yards/game for every season under Saban

Looks like it started ramping up when we changed offensive styles.

 

[BamaNation]

I'd like to see a statistical breakdown of all SEC teams when it comes to penalties over the last 5 years. Something tells me it would be enlightening.

Ask and ye shall receive...

Penalties through first 7 weeks of each season: (this is the same as the #'s in my prior post but with the heat map applied so you can easily see that the refs are cheating against us... and have been since 2019 ! )