For the first time this season, Alabama turned to a freshman at running back to open a game at Tennessee, with Trae'shawn Brown getting the start. But the snap count told a different story about how the night actually unfolded.
Brown played 16 snaps and finished with six carries for 12 yards. Daniel Hill wound up handling the biggest workload in the backfield, logging 33 snaps after starting the first six games of the season. He carried seven times for 34 yards.
EJ Crowell, Alabama’s other freshman back, barely got onto the field. He played just four snaps and had one carry for one yard on a play where he was upended by a Tennessee defender.
Crowell was later seen talking with medical staff and went to the locker room before halftime. He came back out in uniform for the second half, but he did not play again and returned to the locker room with a few minutes left.
Kalen DeBoer said Crowell had a lower-body injury, though he did not say how serious it was.
Alabama also entered the game without wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to address a meniscus injury, ESPN reported before kickoff. DeBoer had previously described Coleman-Williams as week-to-week.
That absence created some expectation that Noah Rogers would see more work. The NC State transfer had played just eight snaps since coming back from injury against South Carolina, and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said last Monday that Rogers was close to 100%.
Before the game, DeBoer told Crimson Tide Sports Network, "We're gonna need the wide receivers and guys like Noah Rogers more than likely getting more opportunities than he's had. This is about the week that you're really kind of striving for to ramp his numbers up.
Derek Meadows I can see getting more opportunities as well in relief of Ryan. Those guys getting some opportunities, for sure."
Instead, Rogers played only two snaps against Tennessee, matching freshman wide receiver Cederian Morgan. Derek Meadows was the one who saw real volume, playing 51 snaps and catching two passes for eight yards on three targets.
Alabama’s offensive counts from the Week 7 loss at Tennessee, as provided to CBS Sports:
QUARTERBACK: Keelon Russell (55) (did not play: Austin Mack, Jett Thomalla) (not in uniform: Tayden-Evan Kaawa, John Gazzaniga)
RUNNING BACK: Daniel Hill (33), Trae'shawn Brown (16), EJ Crowell (4) (did not play: AK Dear, Kevin Riley, Khalifa Keith)
TIGHT END: Kaleb Edwards (29), Marshall Pritchett (23), Josh Ford (13), Danny Lewis (7), Jay Lindsey (6) (did not play: Mack Sutter) (not in uniform: Jack Sammarco)
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