Alabama’s offense looked like a machine through the first five weeks. Then it suddenly started sputtering.
The Crimson Tide became the first FBS team since 2019 to score at least 45 points in five straight games, and it entered last week’s showdown with Georgia ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring offense, just behind the Bulldogs. But that momentum vanished in a 17-point loss, Alabama’s lowest home output since 2011, and the problems only deepened Saturday in a 26-10 road loss to Tennessee.
That defeat gave Alabama back-to-back losses for the first time since 2013, and the most obvious question now is how an offense that once looked explosive has unraveled so quickly under coordinator Ryan Grubb.
“There’s got to be some continuity and a run game that is going to set up some opportunities for us to be able to have a whole offense available,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during the postgame press conference. “In the end, it’s hard to drive the ball play after play for three or four yards a play in a drive, especially if you have some penalties on top of it and end up in the zone.”
That run game was already the weak spot last season, when Alabama’s rushing numbers were among the worst in the FBS and not just in the SEC. The program responded in the offseason by moving on from offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic and bringing in USC defensive analyst Adrian Klemm.
For a while, the new-look backfield helped change the feel of the offense. Daniel Hill, Trae'shawn Brown and EJ Crowell helped nearly double Alabama’s rushing yards per game from last season over the first three contests, and the scoring surge reflected that balance.
But the last two weeks have exposed how fragile that setup can be. Against Georgia, Alabama had its moments but faded in the second half.
Against Tennessee, the ground game never really settled in. Starting center Racin Delgatty missed the game because of an injury, but the larger issue was the production itself: 26 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Keelon Russell accounted for Alabama’s only trip to the end zone, and 19 of those 54 rushing yards came on that play alone.
Russell finished with 201 total yards, including 147 passing, and threw two interceptions on 19 completions in 29 attempts. Alabama’s offense never found rhythm, and DeBoer said the lack of a run threat, paired with penalties and the absence of explosive plays, was a major reason why. Tennessee lived in the backfield, piling up tackles for loss and adding five sacks.
“They got a pass-rush, and so when you get down in distances, that becomes a little bit more past past situations. You know, they can pin their ears back.
Obviously, they got to Keelon early to keep us from being able to really get anything going. We say stay on the field to get anything going, and that kind of wears on you, I don't care who you are as a quarterback.”
DeBoer also said the play-action game was “nonexistent” against the Vols, which only made the offensive struggles more obvious. If the Tide can’t reestablish the run, that part of the playbook stays stuck on the sideline.
“We've got to make sure we continue to hone in on just some of the things that we're really good at and can execute because that's where you can get your chunk plays and that's where you the explosive athletes and players can go get the job done.
“But, to me, I don't know what the explosives were today, but again, the run game sets that up. So we've got to have a little bit of both feeding off each other. When we've been rolling as an offense, usually both of those things are in sync and working together.”
Alabama is now 5-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, and the timing is what makes this stretch so dangerous. The Crimson Tide is entering the toughest part of its schedule, and if the offense doesn’t rediscover what it had at 5-0, the margin for error disappears fast.
The CFP still has 12 teams this year, but next season’s 24-team field is not the safety net Alabama can lean on now. The Tide made the playoff as the No. 9 seed in 2025 after losing twice in the regular season, but no three-loss team has ever reached the CFP, and that trend appears likely to hold.
The road ahead is brutal, starting with Texas A&M at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Oct. 24.
After that comes LSU in Baton Rouge. Alabama’s opponents aren’t the same as the Tigers, but LSU is also sitting with two losses and faces a similar kind of must-win stretch.
For Alabama, the assignment is simple and urgent: fix the offense, or the season starts slipping away.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Backed Alabama But His GameDay Warning Stood Out
ESPNs College GameDay spent part of its pregame spotlight laying out the weekend board, with Pat McAfee, Steve Young, Nick Saban, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit each making their official picks and weighing the strengths and concerns around several marquee matchups. The discussion ranged from BYU over Notre Dame, a choice McAfee and Young both backed, to the SEC showcase in Knoxville, where Alabama was the preferred pick for most of the panel.
Saban did stick with the Crimson Tide in that one, but his commentary carried a different kind of edge than a simple pick sheet endorsement. As the crew worked through the game, the former Alabama coachs warning about what could decide the outcome stood out, a reminder that even when he believes in his old team, he is still quick to point out the sort of challenge that can turn a big Saturday into a stressful one. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Sees One Real Threat In Alabama's Trip To Neyland
The build-up to Alabamas trip to Neyland Stadium has plenty of familiar edge, but Nick Saban pointed to one area that could matter most when the No. 6 Crimson Tide meet No. 16 Tennessee in Week 7. On College GameDay, the former Alabama coach broke down the Volunteers defensive strengths and highlighted a unit that can limit scoring, defend the pass and get after the quarterback, all traits that can disrupt an offenses rhythm in a hurry.
For Alabama, that means the usual SEC road-game questions are suddenly about more than noise and history. If Tennessee can force the Tide into longer drives and tougher third-down situations, the game could turn into a far tighter battle over possessions than rankings suggest, with the Volunteer defense shaping the kind of afternoon Alabama gets at one of the conferences most demanding venues. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Knows Whats Threatening Alabama In Knoxville
At halftime in Knoxville, Alabama finds itself locked in a tight, physical game with Tennessee, trailing 12-10 despite a first-half showing that has kept the Crimson Tide within reach on the road. The difference has been small but meaningful, with kicker Cooper Ranvier accounting for four field goals for the Vols while Alabama has had to lean on a defense that has bent without fully breaking.
Kalen DeBoer pointed to the same issues that have shaped the half for both sides: turnovers on offense and the pressure of a game being played with very little room for error. Keelon Russell has had his struggles with the ball, even as he provided Alabamas only touchdown, and the Tide defense has managed to force Tennessee into field goals rather than seven points while still being outgained overall. [Read more 🡒]