I had a problem with that call at 2:00 too. I can see trying one there to catch Bama in a full pass rush though. What bothered me was when it happened repeatedly on a drive in the 2nd Q to lay down before the half. Hurd (at Bama's surprise) busted the 3rd down one and got big yards. Then we tried it again twice in the 3rd Q on a drive, to expected results.
I'm not against scissor plays up the middle, trap, dive, or QB draws etc. But, this exact situation killed us in the 3rd / 4th Qs against OU and UF. Here is my problem. Running up the middle pits our #1 weakness vs their #1 strength. Bama's front 7 is rediculously good and our OL is not even mid pack SEC. This is the #1 place to scheme around IMO. Running up the gut should be nothing more than to keep their D honest over the course of that game. 2-4 times maximum! Not a staple of the game plan.
When you have a weakness, you hide it. When they have a strength(Bama has a lot of those on D), you avoid it! This is what blew my mind in the OU game in 2nd, 3rd, 4th Q. When that front 7 is strong, and your OL can't push anything, then you better find yards with misdirection and speed. That we at least have a chance of.
UF, OU, and UA are stacked in the trenches. We are soft. Stay the heck outta there IMO.