Alabama’s 31-point SEC win over South Carolina had plenty of attention-grabbing moments, but one snap in the second quarter clearly stood out inside the building.
That was the play where the Crimson Tide got transfer wide receiver Noah Rogers involved for the first time, and it produced a 36-yard gain down to the South Carolina 5-yard line. For Ryan Grubb, it was a designed shot that came together exactly the way Alabama hoped it would.
“Those are the fun moments,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Monday. “Those are the lucky ones where you use personnel to get Noah in that position.
We had pretty high confidence in the coverage structure we'd have in that area of the field, that Noah would have a really good chance to get that football. So we kind of dialed that one up to try to get Noah the ball.
They don't always work out like that, but it did that time and to see him make that play felt really good. I know he was pumped up on the sideline.
It was awesome.”
The result was the first catch of Rogers’ Alabama career, and it came after a long road back. Rogers spent the spring among Alabama’s best players before a lower-body injury in the spring game changed the path of his season. Since then, he’s been grinding with the training staff to get back on the field and help the Tide.
A senior receiver, Rogers arrived from NC State as one of Alabama’s biggest portal additions. Last season, he finished with 33 catches for 441 yards and two touchdowns. He was expected to be a starter in the spring, but he’s still working back toward full speed.
The emotion around that catch was obvious on the sideline. Ryan Coleman-Williams said, “Just to see him have such a good offseason in the spring, and like I said, fight through those battles running full speed down the sideline, like, I’m elated. It was just super exciting,” Alabama receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams said after the game.
Quarterback Keelon Russell felt it too. He said Rogers’ return from injury “brings tears to his eyes,” and he made it clear how much the play meant to him.
“ I really wish he got in the end zone right there, but really just extremely proud for him and the way he fights through that adversity,” Russell said. “We had talks about it, and he never backed down from the fight.
He never stopped working. Really just want to honor him and the road he took coming in and doing the work that he does.”
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The bigger concern may still be on the defensive side, where outside linebacker Justin Hill and defensive end Desmond Umeozulu are both out, and Umeozulu is expected to need more time. Safety Zavier Mincey also sat out the previous game after getting hurt in pregame warmups, leaving Alabama with a few moving pieces to monitor as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]