Hello and Roll Tide!

Alabama improved to 2-1 after winning 38-14 against Wisconsinon Saturday morning. Alabama did not disappoint. They were locked-in againstWisconsin, not missing a beat since the week 2 domination of ULM. Ty Simpsonwas simply brilliant throwing the football as the offense had a great day. Thedefense was solid leaving only improvement for the special teams. Kalen DeBoerseems to have this team poised and confident as they enter the first Bye weekof the season. Below is an injury update, depth notes, Wisconsin Recap, andWeek 3 storylines revisited. Let’s go! 

Injury Notes:

Jam Miller, Jah-Marien Latham, Tim Keenan, andDanny Lewis did not play Saturday and are considered day-to-day. LT Overton exited Saturday’s game with aninjury, but is expected to be available in week 5 against Georgia. 

Depth Notes:

Geno VanDeMark started at Right Guard. London Simmons started at Defensive Tackle. Yhonzae Pierre was the first WOLF off the bench. Kaleb Edwards was the first Tight End on thefield. Cole Adams remains the sole punt returner. 

Week 3 Recap: Wisconsin Badgers

Offense: Alabama’s offense exploded for 454 yards oftotal offense behind a stellar performance from Ty Simpson. Ty finished the day24 of 29 for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was also a fearless runner, gaining 25 yards on 6 rushing attempts. Ty isn’t afraid to make contact toget the extra yard. The offense had a minor roadblock as they turned it over ondowns during their first possession, but never looked back after that. Ty wasdealing, leading to several pass-catchers having great days. Mr. Consistent, GermieBernard, had yet another great game with several highlight plays. Germie openedthe scoring on a tricky 4th & 2 play where he lined up in thebackfield in a wingback position. Germie was able to beat the defenders to theedge and dive into the endzone. Germie was the recipient of the next touchdownwhere Ty found him over the middle for a 43-yard score. Germie finished the contestwith 4 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, two of those being big 3rddown conversions. The main attraction of the night however, was Ryan Williams.He exploded for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns (should have had 3 but dropped onein the 4th quarter). Ryan showed incredible body control on bothtouchdowns. His first was the first play of the second half, as the Tide ran aflea-flicker screen pass to Ryan. He followed blockers, tip-toeing down thesideline for a 75-yard touchdown. Shortly after, Ty found Ryan downfield alongthe sideline where he made the grab then cut in towards the middle of thefield, completely fooling two defenders, as he waltzed into the endzone for a41-yard touchdown. It was great to see Ryan playing at his best. Wide-outIsaiah Horton also had a good game, hauling in 5 passes for 48 yards and atouchdown. His touchdown was the perfect example of why the Tide brought himin. At 6-4, he is a red zone threat and Ty delivered a great ball just out ofreach of the defender. Theoffense did leave room for improvement in the running game as they onlyaveraged 3.3 yards per carry on 22 attempts. But when your quarterback is playing as well as Ty did on Saturday, running the football was not necessary. Dre Washington was effective inhis minimal role averaging 6.5 yards over two carries and gaining 15 yards onhis solo reception.  The offensive line playedwell against a front seven who’ve recorded a lot of sacks this season. Alabamaallowed only 1 sack on Saturday and Ty looked very comfortable in the pocket. Agreat offensive performance against a true Power-4 opponent bodes well forAlabama as they shift their focus to Georgia.

Defense: Alabama’s defense was stout on Saturdaybehind the efforts of fill-in Captain Bray Hubbard. Bray received a lot of negativecriticism regarding his effort level against Florida State, and that can all bethrown out after his performance on Saturday. There was no hesitation in therun game as Bray flew like a missile all over the field. He also brought in twointerceptions at huge moments in the game. His first came in the 1st quarter immediately after Alabama turned the ball over on downs. The second was late inthe 3rd quarter as Wisconsin marched down to the Redzone. Thedefensive line also attacked the Wisconsin offense with intensity. LondonSimmons, LT Overton, Qua Russaw, and Yhonzae Pierre each recorded a sack. Therotation of Qua and Yhonzae at WOLF applied a lot of pressure on the banged-upWisconsin offensive line. Qua’s sack was very fast as he completely beat thetackle off the line. Yhonzae’s sack was skilled; he faked towards the right tacklethen completed a stunt inside, beating the right guard. These two could providesome serious issues for SEC offenses if they continue to improve. Themiddle-linebackers played well as all three led the team in tackles: DeontaeLawson with 9, Justin Jefferson with 6, and Nikhai Hill-Green with 6. The secondaryplayed well for the most part, allowing only 117 yards passing. However, ZabienBrown did not have a great day. Twice he was beaten in man coverage downfield,yet Wisconsin QB Danny O’Neill was only able to take advantage on one opportunity.Speedster Vinny Anthony burned Zabien in the 3rd quarter, but Dannyunderthrew it. Later, Danny took another shot at Brown and connected withBallard for a 41-yard touchdown. Zabien is a very talented cornerback, butshowed a weakness in man-coverage on Saturday. Georgia will certainly takenotice of this as they prepare for the week 5 showdown.

Special Teams: Alabama left room for improvement onSpecial Teams on Saturday. Both the Kickoff and Kick Return units had miscues.The biggest issues came early in the second half when Wisconsin returned a kick95-yards for a touchdown. They were at a disadvantage, kicking off from the20-yard line due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but regardless youcannot allow a kick return touchdown. On the flip side, the Kick Return teamhad multiple penalties, setting up the offense in less-advantageous fieldpositions. Zabien Brown was flagged with a holding on a punt return and QBReese committed a blindside block on a kickoff. These are small mental errorsthat need to be cleaned up. Conor Talty made his lone kick from 33-yards aswell as 5 PATs. Blake Doub was serviceable at punter, averaging 45.5 yards ontwo punts.  

Week 3 Storylines Revisited

Return of the King: Ryan Williams was as exciting onSaturday as anyone could have wanted. It looks like he could score any time hetouches the ball. Yes, he does have some issues with drops, but anytime hetouches the ball something exciting can happen. Ryan alongside Germie andIsaiah Horton look to be one of the best wide receiver units in all of collegefootball.

How will the Offensive Line Operate?: Geno VanDeMarkdid get the start at Right Guard for the 3rd consecutive game. Evenwhen Roberts came in, Geno moved over to Left Guard, sending Kam Dewberry tothe bench. It seems that regardless of the 5 up front, Geno is involved. Jaedenand Kam appear to be competing with one another from across the center. WilkinFormby started at Right Tackle and took the majority of snaps, however we didsee Michael Carroll in for 18 snaps. It is Wilkin’s job, yet Carroll has clearlyestablished himself as the primary backup at tackle.

Will the defense maintain their intensity?: I alreadywent into detail above, but YES! Veteran leaders Deontae Lawson and Bray Hubbardled by example and the entire team followed. The defense only allowed oneoffensive touchdown and was very disruptive. Four sacks and twointerceptions shows the effort and intensity that Alabama played with onSaturday.  As always, reach out with any questions or comments! If youknow anyone who wants to join the newsletter, send their information my way.

Roll Tide! -Jake