Alabama’s Saturday showdown with Texas A&M may come with a thinner-than-usual roster.
On the Friday night SEC injury report, three key Crimson Tide players - center Racin Delgatty, cornerback Zabien Brown and freshman running back EJ Crowell - were all downgraded from questionable to doubtful for the Week 8 matchup in Tuscaloosa. Each had already carried the questionable tag on Wednesday night and again on Thursday night, but the late shift makes their availability look much less likely.
That puts Alabama in a tough spot as it tries to end a two-game skid. The No.
13 Crimson Tide are coming off back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee, and now they could be missing a major chunk of their lineup when they kick off against the Aggies at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Alabama is already set to be without star wideout Ryan Coleman-Williams, who was ruled out earlier in the week. The Crimson Tide will also be without defensive lineman Terrance Green, as expected.
If Delgatty, Brown and Crowell are unable to go, Alabama would be dealing with four notable absences against Texas A&M.
The Aggies got a more encouraging update on their side. Star wide receiver Mario Craver and defensive tackle DJ Hicks were both upgraded from questionable to probable on Friday night. ESPN insider Pete Thamel reported that both are expected to play, though Texas A&M left them on the injury report rather than removing them altogether.
For now, Alabama heads into Saturday with several important questions hanging over its availability picture as it prepares to face Texas A&M at home.
In Other News...
Alabama Offensive Concerns Just Got More Personal Around Keelon Russell
The conversation around Alabamas offense got a little more pointed after the loss to Tennessee, with former quarterback Jake Coker publicly questioning how well Keelon Russell is grasping the system. Cokers comments landed in the middle of an uneasy stretch for the Crimson Tide offense, which has struggled to get the run game going and has had trouble executing the run-pass option game cleanly enough to keep defenses honest.
Texas A&M now becomes the next chance to show the issues are being addressed rather than just explained away. For Alabama, the timing matters because the offense needs a sharper rhythm and a better feel for what it wants to be, and Russells command of the scheme is suddenly part of a larger, more personal discussion about whether the Tide can get back on track. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Gets A Tense Early Preview Of Texas A&M Showdown
With Alabama and Texas A&M set for a Week 8 collision at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Roll Tide Wire took an unusual route to peek ahead: a simulation on EA Sports College Football 27. The virtual preview didnt offer much separation between two teams that figure to bring plenty of tension into one of the SECs more watched matchups, but it did tilt the edge to the Tide in a tight one.
The game forecast had Alabama prevailing 20-17, with the defense coming up with interceptions and the ground game doing enough to keep the offense on schedule. Keelon Russell and Daniel Hill were central to that simulated win, giving Alabama a path that would look familiar if the real thing turns into the kind of grind expected between teams with little room for error. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Defining Test As Playoff Hopes Start To Slip
Consecutive losses have put Alabama in a spot it is not used to occupying, and now the No. 13 Crimson Tide return home with their College Football Playoff picture starting to narrow. Texas A&M comes to Tuscaloosa with the kind of physical defense and disruptive presence that can make this game feel less like a midseason checkpoint and more like a fork in the road for a team trying to steady itself.
A key part of the night could come on the perimeter, where Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown is questionable and Texas A&M wide receiver Isaiah Horton, a recent transfer from Alabama, adds an extra layer to the matchup. The Tide also need more from quarterback Keelon Russell after recent struggles, because another uneven performance would only make the pressure heavier against a defense built to make opponents work for every inch. [Read more 🡒]