Hello and Roll Tide!

Alabama dominated the Missouri Tigers Saturday in a 34-0 win. Missouri was handicapped by injuries, yet a shutout is impressive nonetheless. The Alabama rushing attack finally arrived, Alabama had a positive turnover margin, and the defense held strong on 3rd down. This was a huge bounce back for an Alabama team that could have started spiraling after the loss in Knoxville. Now DeBoer and staff have two full weeks to prepare for a road battle with LSU. I have depth/injury notes below, a week 9 review, and will revisit storylines. Let’s go!

Depth/Injury Notes:

· Cole Adams exited the game with a lower-leg injury

o Jalen Mbakwe and Ryan Williams both returned punts after his injury

· Keon Sabb did not play

o Bray Hubbard started at safety

Week 9 Review: Missouri

Offense: Alabama started the game pass-heavy which led to a field goal on their opening drive. Alabama struggled as they punted the next 3 possessions. Things began to turn around as Alabama committed to the run game. Bama ran the ball 37 times as opposed to 26 passing attempts. Those 37 attempts were efficient as Bama averaged 7.3 yards per carry. Justice Haynes ran for 79 yards, topping it off with a 35-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. Richard Young also had a massive 62-yard run. There were many explosive runs during this game. As expected, Jalen Milroe was involved in the run game as he rushed for 50 yards on 11 attempts and found the endzone. Passing the ball, Jalen was serviceable. He completed 61% of his passes for 215 yards, without any touchdowns. Jalen did make better decisions in the game, resulting in zero turnovers. Germie Bernard continues to prove that he is a go-to receiver for Jalen. Similar to John Metchie with Bryce Young, it seems that Germie finds himself open when Jalen needs to buy time in scrambles. Germie shows a great understanding of zone defense. Often, he will sit in an open zone rather than completing a route, helping Jalen make safe throws. The Offensive line did improve: committed 3 penalties and allowed 2 sacks. The O-line finally looked dominant in the run game, a piece that has been missing all season.

Defense: Alabama’s defense had their best performance of the year on Saturday as they shut out the Tigers of Mizzou. Missouri’s quarterback, Brady Cook, was doubtful before kickoff, but led the offense onto the field to start the game. In the second quarter, he injured his hand, forcing him to exit the game. Before the injury, Cook only recorded 30 passing yards. Backup Drew Pyne replaced Cook and was quickly overwhelmed by the Alabama defense. Pyne threw three interceptions. Malachi Moore, Bray Hubbard, and Qua Russaw were the recipients of these poor throws. Bray, who filled in for injured Keon Sabb, was great in his first career start. The interception was the first of his career. It came as he was the help man on a seam route along the sideline. Great positioning and instincts lead to the turnover. Qua Russaw made an amazing play on the ball as Pyne tried to throw the ball away. Malachi Moore was in the right position as Pyne simply threw the ball directly to him.

There were not many opportunities to rush the passer as Missouri only attempted 24 passes. Jihaad Campbell did come away with the only sack for the Tide defense and also led the team with 8 tackles. The front 7 held Missouri to 167 yards on the ground on 39 attempts. Both lead backs averaged over 4 yards per carry but the Tide defense was able to prevent big plays. Alabama forced Missouri into several 3rd and log situations. This led to Missouri converting only 3 of 13 3rd down attempts. The defense stepped up in these critical situations as well as stopping a 4th down conversion at the Alabama 1-yard line with 4:19 left in the game. Kane Wommack sent the starters back out to preserve the shutout. This unit has a lot to be proud of from last week.

Special Teams: Cole Adams was injured on the first Alabama drive, causing Jalen Mbakwe to return a punt. He juggled his first attempt and was replaced by Ryan Williams thereafter. Emmanuel Henderson returned Missouri’s only kickoff for 12 yards. Graham Nicholson had his best game of the year as he put two kicks through the uprights. The first was from 47-yards to take a 3-0 lead. The next was from 39-yards out and put Alabama up 6-0. It is good to see Graham taking kicks in high-tense situations. Graham has only attempted 6 kicks this year, so two in a close game gives him experience for bigger moments ahead. James Burnip had a great day as he punted the ball 5 times averaging 49.2 yards per punt. 1 pinned Missouri inside their 20 yard line and the longest punt traveled 54 yards.

Storylines Revisited Week 9:

Win the line of scrimmage: Alabama certainly won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The running game showed up for the first time all season as Alabama’s O-line moved defenders, creating running lanes for Jam and Justice. Pass protection was fine as Jalen was not forced into too many pressure situations.

Play disciplined: With 7 flags for 85 yards of penalties, it is an improvement from previous weeks. Specifically False Starts and Holding penalties being down is a good sign, yet players continue to commit personal fouls. It is much easier to contain your emotions at home, so hopefully they continue to improve as the season marches on

Will Jalen rebound?: Jalen may not have put up big numbers, but he was careful with the football. This was the first game since Wisconsin that Jalen did not turn the ball over. Nick Sheridan finally leaned into the run game, taking stress off of Jalen’s plate. It seems when he is not asked to do it all on offense, he can get comfortable and into a rhythm. Of course we’d like to see high production like vs Georgia, but a balanced offensive system can be beneficial for the quarterback and offensive line.

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Roll Tide!

-Jake