Alabama’s defense has spent the first five weeks living with a problem it can’t keep ignoring: too many explosive plays.
That was the backdrop for Kane Wommack’s message Monday as the Crimson Tide turns its attention to No. 2 Georgia.
Alabama has already given up 15 explosive pass plays of 20 yards or more through its first five games, and three more chunk plays of 20-plus yards showed up in Saturday’s 56-23 win over Mississippi State. The Tide has survived those breakdowns so far, but Wommack knows the film is there now for an offense like Georgia’s to attack.
That is what makes this week so dangerous for Alabama. Gunner Stockton has given Georgia a quarterback who can make defenses pay quickly, even without a high volume of chances.
Through the Bulldogs’ 5-0 start, Stockton has averaged more than 10.3 yards per attempt and has completed passes of 70, 61 and 55 yards. For all that, his running ability may still be the sharpest edge in his game.
Wommack didn’t hide the challenge.
"He's really impressive," Wommack told reporters Monday during his weekly press conference. "You can see he's very comfortable; he's very decisive.
And I think this is a credit to him and their coaching staff, but he has great answers when you do pressure. He knows where to go with the ball.
And I think he's done a really nice job in that regard. And so, like anything, you still have to make the quarterback uncomfortable, and you've gotta find creative ways of playing that - When do we pressure?
When do we drop into coverage? But certainly he presents a significant challenge because he's so dialed into what they're doing and has great answers based on what a defense shows."
Alabama has done plenty right on the defensive side, too. The Tide is tied for sixth in the SEC with 16 sacks through 20 quarters, which shows there has been real disruption up front. But the issue Wommack keeps circling back to is the one that can swing a game in a hurry: the busted coverage, the sudden strike, the one snap that turns a drive into a touchdown.
Those mistakes are on tape now, and Georgia will have studied them.
"Ultimately, this is us continuing to elevate our game and just get better in the little details for things that we need to get better at," Wommack said. "Good defenses get better as the season goes on.
We've put things on tape in the first five weeks that we are going to have to answer for, and teams are going to try to find ways to attack us. And so we've gotta be able to continue to be able to keep our world tight and demand a lot more in practice, which our coaches are doing right now and our players are stepping up and responding to it in practice and on game day."
Saturday gives Alabama its first chance to prove that the lessons are taking hold against an opponent built to punish anything less.
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Greg Byrne said Holloway accepted responsibility and took the steps required to move forward, including community service, screenings and fines. For Alabama, the arrangement means Holloway can still be part of the programs long-term plans, even if the opening portion of the schedule will go by without him on the floor. [Read more 🡒]