Alabama’s pass rush has gone quiet at the wrong time, and Kane Wommack knows exactly why.
After opening the season with more juice off the edge, the Crimson Tide have managed just one sack in each of their last two games. Both games ended in losses, and that dip in disruption has become a talking point as Alabama turns its attention to Texas A&M.
Wommack said Monday that the last two opponents came in with a clear plan to take the rush out of the equation.
“We knew these last two weeks that these are teams that were highly efficient in terms of how they were going to disperse the ball offensively,” Wommack said. “I mean, they were going to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands.
That was Georgia’s plan. That was Tennessee’s plan.
And so the ball was going to come out. You were going to get opportunities on third down to affect the quarterback.
But they certainly had him very well coached up to get the ball out of his hands, even when we did create some pressure. That was just kind of the style of game that they were going to run, and the way the game was in flow, and that they had a lead, they were able to continue to just stay efficient, trying to run the football and not hold on to the football.
And so naturally, you’re going to have less of those things, but to me, you’re always trying to find ways to create negative plays and takeaways, and I just didn’t do a good enough job of finding a way to get that done.”
That’s the reality for Alabama right now: the pressure is there in spots, but the sacks aren’t following. Georgia and Tennessee both forced the Tide into a thinner margin for error, getting the ball out quickly and limiting chances for Alabama to finish plays in the backfield.
With the way both of those teams handled the Crimson Tide defense, Texas A&M may be next to lean on a similar approach Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
In Other News...
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On the field, Tennessee handled the moment with far more composure, winning 26-10 behind DeSean Bishops 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Josh Heupel praised his defense afterward, while Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell pointed to a lack of effective game planning, a harsh assessment for a Tide team that left with more questions than answers and now a bizarre story to go with them. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Took Part In A Tennessee First Fans Will Hate
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The peak came late in the third quarter and was tied to a defensive play by Tennessee, the kind of moment that can turn a stadium into a full-body experience for everyone inside it. For Alabama, it was another reminder that road games in Knoxville can become as much about survival through the noise as anything happening on the field. [Read more 🡒]