Alabama is down to the part of the schedule where every snap feels heavier. After back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee, the Crimson Tide can’t really afford another misstep if they want to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. A three-loss regular-season team has never made the 12-team field, and that’s the cliff Alabama is staring at heading into Saturday’s homecoming matchup with Texas A&M.
The No. 13 Crimson Tide will host the Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 2:30 p.m.
CT on ABC, and the pressure points are pretty clear. Alabama (5-2, 3-2 SEC) needs the kind of response that steadies the season, and it starts with the three areas that were exposed against Tennessee.
One of the biggest questions is whether the offensive line can clean things up after a rough outing. The problems up front weren’t all on the linemen alone - pass protection can also break down because of the quarterback, because the ball doesn’t come out fast enough, or because running backs and tight ends miss their assignments. But the Tide’s line had a tough day against the Volunteers in both pass protection and run blocking.
That has to change quickly if Alabama wants to give Keelon Russell more time and create real movement in the run game. Right guard Michael Carroll didn’t hide from the performance afterward.
“The message (from offensive line coach Adrian Klemm) was that was an embarrassing performance,” right guard Michael Carroll said. “We need to come together as a group and never let that happen again.”
The next issue is the running game itself, which has been Alabama’s offensive lifeblood when it’s rolling. When the Tide can run the football, it opens the whole playbook, especially the play-action game.
The offense has looked more capable on the ground this season than it did a year ago, and Daniel Hill, Trae’shawn Brown and EJ Crowell have each flashed in different games. Crowell could matter here if he’s able to play.
Against Tennessee, though, Alabama managed only 54 rushing yards - its worst output of the season. Getting back to the early-season version of that attack may end up deciding whether the Tide keep pushing toward the playoff or fall short.
Then there’s Russell, whose season has swung with the offense around him. Just a few weeks ago, he was building a legitimate Heisman Trophy case.
In the wins over Mississippi State and South Carolina, he looked nothing like a first-year starter. He didn’t turn the ball over, he accounted for nine total touchdowns, and he was nearly impossible to contain.
The last two games have been a different story. Russell has thrown one touchdown and rushed for another while also tossing two interceptions and losing a fumble in each game.
That doesn’t erase what he did earlier in the season, and it comes against two top-20 defenses in efficiency ratings, per ESPN. It also doesn’t define where his career is headed.
But if Alabama is going to win out and reach the 12-team playoff, it needs the quarterback who showed up in late September and early October, not the one who’s struggled the past two weeks.
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Keon Sabbs workload was one of the more notable subplots in Alabamas win over Texas A&M, especially because the safety was on the field and appeared to be moving normally before the game shifted late. When the final four defensive series arrived, though, Sabb did not log another snap, and sophomore Ivan Taylor along with freshman Jireh Edwards were the ones handling the work in his place.
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Former Alabama OC Suddenly Emerges In A Job Search Fans Should Watch
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Alabama Still Has A Major Rotation Question Heading Into LSU
Noah Rogers barely factored into Alabamas offense against Texas A&M, logging only one official snap even as the Tide tried to get him more involved. The passing game has been in flux, and the rotation has only become harder to pin down with Ryan Coleman-Williams out, which has pushed other receivers into larger roles as the staff looks for the right mix.
Derek Meadows has been the clearest beneficiary so far, handling a much heavier workload over the past two games and giving Alabama one more option to lean on. Availability is still part of the equation, too, with EJ Crowell sidelined for the Texas A&M game because of a lower-body injury, leaving the Tide to sort through a changing group as LSU approaches. [Read more 🡒]