Alabama’s defense walked out of Saturday night with the kind of film nobody in Tuscaloosa wants to revisit.
The Crimson Tide escaped Florida State 50-36, but the bigger story was how badly the back end cracked. A unit that came into the season with plenty of hype as the best secondary in the country was picked apart by Ashton Daniels, who threw for 377 yards and helped the Seminoles jump ahead 21-6 before Alabama’s offense dragged the Tide back into it.
On Monday, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack didn’t try to soften the blow.
"Highly disappointing and uncharacteristic pass defense," Wommack said. "I think the worst I've seen since we have been here."
The problems were everywhere. Alabama’s defensive backs lost receivers too often, and Daniels left more production on the field with missed opportunities. Duce Robinson gave the Tide fits all game, repeatedly getting loose against Dijon Lee and the rest of the Alabama secondary on his way to 135 yards and a touchdown on six catches.
Wommack also owned part of the mess. His personnel choices and substitutions were under the microscope, and he singled out one third-quarter snap as the low point. On Florida State’s first possession of the third quarter, the Seminoles ripped off a 65-yard screen pass on 3rd-and-long, a play Wommack called the worst he can remember Alabama’s defense allowing in his three seasons as a defensive coordinator there.
The setup for that play made the decision look even worse. Alabama had backup linebacker Abudall Sanders on the field instead of Luke Metz or even QB Reese, and Sanders missed the tackle on Samuel Singleton Jr., who turned it into a run all the way inside the Tide’s five-yard line.
Even with all that ugliness, Alabama believes this is a fixable problem. The talent is there, and the defense that shut down Kentucky is still the same group that got exposed by Florida State. Early in the season, the lesson is simple: last week means nothing once the next kickoff arrives.
Wommack said the frustration in the locker room is real, and he expects it to show up this week.
"They're pissed, and they should be pissed," Wommack said. "They did not do their job at a high enough level, and they are very capable of doing that.
They are disappointed in themselves. The blame cannot be put on any one person."
There’s urgency here because Alabama gave up nine explosive plays against Florida State, and South Carolina has the kind of offense that can punish that sort of slippage. LaNorris Sellers can hit big plays, too, which makes this Saturday another serious test for a Tide defense that has already shown both extremes.
If Alabama doesn’t clean it up in practice, Bryant-Denny could be in for another track meet.
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 🡒]