Alabama’s offense had a surprisingly quiet night for Noah Rogers and AK Dear, even in a win over Texas A&M.
Rogers, the senior wideout and NC State transfer, logged just one official offensive snap Saturday after seeing only two at Tennessee a week earlier. Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb had said after the Tennessee game that he was "bummed" that Rogers didn’t get on the field more in Knoxville, but the usage didn’t really change against the Aggies. His lone official play came in the third quarter, when Rico Scott - who paced the wide receiver group with 54 snaps - hauled in a 38-yard third-and-8 catch.
There was at least one late attempt to get Rogers involved. With 8:18 left in the fourth quarter, he lined up for a first-and-10 snap and ran deep from the slot.
Keelon Russell rolled out under pressure and threw the ball away, but Texas A&M was flagged for defensive holding on the play. Because of the penalty, it did not count as an official snap for Rogers.
Elsewhere in the passing game, Alabama has leaned heavily on Derek Meadows while Ryan Coleman-Williams is out. Meadows has handled the bulk of available snaps over the last two games, playing 88 offensive snaps and running 54 routes, according to Pro Football Focus. He has been targeted six times and has two catches for eight yards.
Coleman-Williams may be back for Alabama’s next game against LSU on November 7, and running back EJ Crowell could also return after missing Saturday with a lower-body injury that knocked him out of the Tennessee game as well.
Crowell’s absence opened the door for another back to work behind Daniel Hill, who returned to the starting lineup, and Trae'shawn Brown, who went back to a reserve role. Junior Kevin Riley got the extra work in that spot, taking three snaps and rushing once for four yards. Sophomore AK Dear did not see the field on offense.
Here are Alabama’s full offensive counts from its Week 8 win over Texas A&M as provided to CBS Sports:
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