One bad defensive afternoon can distort a season’s story, and Alabama’s Week 3 numbers make that pretty clear. Less than a week ago, the Crimson Tide looked like a team whose defense might be ready to join the national elite. After the Florida State game, that idea took a hard hit.
The secondary was the biggest reason. Coverages broke down, Alabama defenders lost too many one-on-one battles for the ball, and Ashton Daniels put together what was, for him, an otherworldly performance.
Alabama still came away with three interceptions that helped decide the game, and the run defense held up the way it has all season. But anyone facing the Crimson Tide at quarterback is going to study that tape with interest.
So is this just a one-game blip, or something more revealing? A look at Alabama’s team stats through three games offers at least a rough answer, even with all the usual Week 3 caution attached.
Alabama’s scoring defense sits tied for No. 63 nationally, and the biggest drag on that number is the pass defense. The Crimson Tide’s Pass Defense Rating is 133.22, which ranks No. 89 in the FBS and makes Alabama the SEC’s fourth-worst-rated pass defense. The one area keeping the defense afloat is the run game: Alabama’s rushing defense is allowing 1.79 yards per carry, good for No. 4 nationally and third-best in the SEC.
On offense, Alabama is still piling up points. The Crimson Tide are tied for No. 7 in scoring offense at 47.7 points per game. In the SEC, only Georgia, No. 1 at 59.3 points per game, and Florida, No. 2 at 54, are scoring more.
The next question is how those numbers line up with the teams still ahead on Alabama’s schedule.
South Carolina comes first, and the Gamecocks are tied for No. 14 nationally in scoring at 45.3 points per game. Their defense has been more middle-of-the-pack: No. 36 in scoring defense, No. 84 against the pass, and No. 28 against the run.
Mississippi State is next, and the Bulldogs are putting up 47 points per game, which ranks No. 10 nationally. Their defense has been more ordinary, sitting tied for No. 57 in scoring defense, No. 42 in rushing defense, and No. 51 in passing defense.
Georgia brings the biggest statistical punch on offense. The Bulldogs are still No. 1 in scoring offense, and Kirby’s team also ranks No. 23 in scoring defense, tied for No. 3 in rushing defense at 1.79 yards per carry allowed, and No. 17 in passing defense.
Tennessee is tied with Alabama at No. 7 in scoring offense. Jim Knowles’ defense is No. 26 in scoring defense, No. 14 in passing defense, and No. 94 in rushing defense.
Texas A&M rounds out the group, and the Aggies are tied for No. 21 in scoring offense. Defensively, A&M is tied for No. 39 in scoring defense, No. 56 in rushing defense, and No. 104 in passing defense.
Vanderbilt and Auburn are not part of this look, and while both teams could improve, the current read is simple: Alabama would only lose to either one if the Crimson Tide beat itself.
In Other News...
Alabama Just Got A Troubling Roster Update Fans Didnt Expect
Alabamas roster picture shifted again this week, and not in a way that brings much comfort to a team still trying to settle into the rhythm of the season. Head coach Kalen DeBoer said offensive lineman Chris Booker is no longer with the Crimson Tide, though he did not spell out why, leaving another blank spot on a unit that is always under the microscope in Tuscaloosa.
There was at least some better news on the injury front, even if it came with a costly setback elsewhere. Linebacker Cayden Jones is out for the season because of an undisclosed injury, while running back AK Dear and wide receiver Noah Rogers are expected to be available after working back from their own injuries. For Alabama, the challenge now is absorbing the loss of depth without losing much more ground as the roster keeps changing around it. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's First Night Game Brings Another Dangerous South Carolina Test
After a five-year gap between meetings, Alabama and South Carolina are now lining up for their third straight season of football against each other, and the recent history has made the matchup feel tighter than the long drought before it. Alabama has won the last two, but both came down to the final minutes, which is enough to keep this one from feeling routine even with the Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The setting adds a little more edge, too, because this will be Alabamas first scheduled night game of the season, with a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN in Tuscaloosa. For a team that has already had to work to separate from South Carolina late, the combination of a prime-time stage and another tricky SEC test gives the game a different kind of weight than a typical early-season home date. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama May Already Have A Freshman Fans Can't Ignore
Alabamas ground game drew plenty of attention in the season-opening win over Florida State, and freshman running back EJ Crowell was a big reason why. Kalen DeBoer singled out the running game afterward, pointing to a performance that gave the Crimson Tide a sturdier offensive foundation and offered an early glimpse of what Crowell can bring to the backfield.
Crowell finished with 51 rushing yards on seven carries and scored a touchdown, but the numbers were only part of the impression he made. His two hurdles in the game turned heads as well, and both teammates and quarterback Keelon Russell have already shown confidence in what he can do moving forward, a sign Alabama may have found an early contributor it will keep leaning on. [Read more 🡒]