For Alabama, the assignment against Florida State starts with one thing and only one thing: choke off the run.
That’s the job Kane Wommack and the Crimson Tide defense are staring at this week, because the Seminoles’ ground game is what makes the whole operation go. Florida State brings a bruising back in Ousmane Kromah and a quarterback in Ashton Daniels who can stress a defense with his legs, even if the passing game is not where he does his best work.
Wommack put it plainly: "I think when you watch him, he is a big, strong, physical runner. He is just a physically strong guy, difficult to bring down, and he’s played a lot of football,"
Daniels is in his fifth year of college football, and Alabama has already seen enough to know what he is. In last November’s Iron Bowl, he completed 18 of 39 passes for Auburn, but he also ran for 108 yards on 23 carries in Alabama’s 27-20 win. His career completion rate sits barely over 60%, he has never averaged more than seven yards per attempt, and his career touchdown-to-interception ratio is 26 to 23.
He can hurt a defense once he gets loose and extends plays, but the deeper issue for Florida State is whether it can stay ahead of the chains. If Alabama can bottle up the run, it puts Daniels in the kind of third-and-long situations that favor the Crimson Tide - and Alabama’s third-down defense has been the best in the country.
The most important individual battle on the field may be Florida State’s Ousmane Kromah against Alabama’s inside linebackers Caleb Woodson and Luke Metz. Kromah, listed at 216 pounds, is built to run through contact, not around it.
He has topped 100 yards in both Seminoles games and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry. According to Pro Football Focus, 180 of his 231 rushing yards have come after first contact.
Woodson and Metz have been key pieces for Alabama through two games, and they combined for 20 tackles against Kentucky. If the defensive line holds up and lets those linebackers keep Kromah from turning modest gains into chunk plays, Florida State’s offense could get stuck in neutral.
Wommack had praise for Woodson, saying: "There was one play that kind of rolled off the table and bounced outside, and because of his effort, he went and cleaned it up. And had he not been there, that could have been an explosive run play, which we did not give one up on the day."
There are also a few numbers that help explain why Alabama feels good about where its defense stands right now. Through two games, the Tide ranks sixth nationally in total defense at 185.5 yards allowed per game, first in third-down defense at .043, and fifth in first downs allowed with 19. That’s a small sample, but it’s a sharp start.
On the other side of the ball, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is usually comfortable dialing up screen passes. Against Kentucky, though, he called only two. The reason may be obvious enough: the first was a tunnel screen that turned into Keelon Russell’s pick-6 at the goal line on Alabama’s third snap from scrimmage.
Special teams have been solid too. Transfer kicker Lorcan Quinn has sent 16 of 18 kickoffs for touchbacks.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Arkansas fans have made their frustration clear ahead of Georgia’s visit to Fayetteville. Reynolds Razorback Stadium should be full for the No. 2 team in the country, but after Arkansas’ 43-10 loss to Utah, ticket demand has cratered.
Upper-deck seats were available for $25, the cheapest ticket in the league this week. Missouri fans, by comparison, are paying more to see Troy, with lower-bowl seats available for under $100 and a 40-yardline seat on row two listed at $99 on SeatGeek.
And in the week’s other marquee SEC storyline, LSU coach Lane Kiffin framed the buildup to Ole Miss this way: "You don't have anything to worry about as far as attention on you all week and everything. There's just gonna be so much attention, hatred, everything on me."
In Other News...
Alabama Just Entered A Tough Fight For A Hometown Commit
Alabamas 2027 recruiting class is already taking shape, but it has been built with a different priority than some of the programs heavier years. The class currently stands at 14 commitments, and the Tide have been operating with a smaller, less expensive group while putting more of their attention on keeping the current roster intact.
Even so, the staff is still reaching into the 2027 board when the fit makes sense, and that includes a new scholarship offer to 3-star defensive lineman Joshua Lane, a Memphis product who is committed to the hometown program. Lane has also picked up several other Power Four offers, which puts Alabama into a competition it will have to work for if it wants to pull him away, even as the Tide appear poised to turn up the pressure on the already promising 2028 class. [Read more 🡒]
Aden Holloway Praise Just Made Alabama's Biggest Basketball Question Even Bigger
Aden Holloway already had the kind of reputation that travels quickly inside a program, and now it is getting an even brighter spotlight from someone who saw him up close. Former Alabama guard Houston Mallette drew a striking comparison to Kyrie Irving while talking about Holloways feel for the game, his joy in playing and the way he processes things so quickly on the floor. For a Crimson Tide team that has seen Holloway flash plenty of talent, that kind of praise only reinforces why his next chapter still carries real intrigue.
The bigger question, of course, is not whether Holloway has ability. His junior season ended early after an arrest, and he is now working through a second-chance program while his reinstatement to the team remains pending. Mallettes confidence in Holloways work ethic and upside adds another layer to a situation Alabama is still waiting to resolve, with the potential reward obvious if the off-court piece falls into place. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas New Look Under Ryan Grubb Could Fix A Big Problem
Alabamas offense has taken on a different shape early in the 2026 season, and one of the clearest changes has been the heavier use of multiple tight ends. The Crimson Tide deployed those sets on 41 plays against East Carolina and 25 more against Kentucky, a notable shift under offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, whose recent stops have not leaned this heavily on the position. It has given Alabama a more layered look and, more importantly, a clearer identity in the run game.
The biggest payoff has shown up on the ground, where the extra tight end has helped create more favorable rushing looks for the backs. Alabama running backs are averaging 5.7 yards per carry out of multiple-tight-end formations this season, a sign that the adjustment is doing more than changing personnel groupings on paper. For a team looking to solve a persistent offensive problem, the real question now is how far Grubb is willing to take the new package and what it might unlock next. [Read more 🡒]