Hello and Roll Tide!

Alabama lost at home to Oklahoma last Saturday, marking Kalen DeBoer’s first home loss as the head coach of the Crimson Tide. Alabama was the less physical team and made several mental errors. There was a lack of focus and Oklahoma took advantage. Brent Venables deserves a lot of credit for his team’s relentless efforts in forcing turnovers. Alabama will look to rebound against Eastern Illinois tomorrow. Below are Injury Notes, a Week 12 recap, Week 13 preview, and Week 13 storylines. Let’s go!

Injury Notes

  • Qua Russaw is a Game-Time-Decision against Eastern Illinois
  • Parker Brailsford exited the game against Oklahoma and is considered QUESTIONABLE
  • Cayden Jones was a Game-Time-Decision against Oklahoma but did not play

Week 12 Review: Oklahoma

Offense: On paper, Alabama’s offense had a lot of success against Oklahoma. Alabama gained 406 yards (326 passing; 80 rushing), recorded 23 1st downs, converted 5 of 13 3rd downs, and converted 2 of 3 4th downs. The main category where Alabama struggled was turnovers. In the 1st quarter, Ty Simpson threw a pick-6 in the Red Zone. It was an uncharacteristic turnover from Ty, though a great scheme by Oklahoma’s defense. Oklahoma blitzed 30 times on Saturday, and the interception came on a blitz where Ty had to get the ball out quickly. He read Man, but the defense was in zone and the DB jumped his pass. Ty also lost a fumble late in the 3rd quarter. This has been an issue all season. Ty is very comfortable in the pocket but sometimes hangs onto the ball too long. With the amount of blitz packages being thrown at him all game, he should have realized that he needs to get the ball out quicker. The heavy blitzes resulted in 8 pressures and 4 sacks. Alabama often used their running backs to pick up the blitz and both Jam and Daniel Hill allowed a sack. Daniel Hill was effective on the ground, rushing 15 times for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns. He showed his burst in the 3rd quarter breaking off a 28-yard run. Hill should continue to be Alabama’s main running back. Germie Bernard and Josh Cuevas had good games receiving. Germie continues to be Mr. Consistent, catching 7 passes for 71 yards. Cuevas is emerging as one of Ty’s favorite targets, posting a career high in catches and yards (6 for 80 yards). Josh was shifty on his 25-yard touchdown catch. Cuevas had a delayed route, faking a block, caught the ball on the 20-yard line, and beat all defenders to the endzone. There were a few changes along the offensive line. Wilkin Formby played at Right Guard with Michael Carrol at Right Tackle. 4 players took all 77 snaps: Kaydn Proctor at LT, Parker Brailsford at Center, Wilkin Formby at RG, and Michael Carrol at RT. Kam Dewberry and Geno VanDeMark split time at LG. Notably, Jaeden Roberts did not play. He was not listed on the injury report and had played every snap at RG the last two games. This late in the season Ryan Grubb is still not comfortable with his starting-5 linemen. Until the lineup is solid, Alabama will likely continue to struggle running the football.

Defense: Alabama’s defense played great against Oklahoma. The defense allowed only 212 total yards, 12 1st downs, and limited them to 3 of 13 on 3rd down conversions. Alabama defenders recorded 2 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, and 3 pass deflections. There was a mix-up on defense as Red Morgan started at Husky over DaShawn Jones. Jones was battling an injury but was not listed on the report before kickoff. Alabama’s defense found itself in poor starting field position often due to 3 turnovers and a 42-yard punt return allowed by Special Teams. Still they only allowed 1 touchdown on 3 Oklahoma Red Zone trips. John Mateer averaged only 6.0 yards per attempt and Oklahoma rushers averaged 2.6 yards per rush. Oklahoma was unable to move the ball at all against this team. Domani Jackson had a bounce-back game, recording 5 tackles. He is still the backup to Dijon Lee but took advantage of his 22 snaps. Yhonzae Pierre once again led the team in pressures with 2. Alabama’s defense should continue to be dangerous when Yhonzae and Qua are sharing the field. Kelby Collins had a productive day, recording 2 pressures on only 11 snaps. The defense was sharp on Saturday. Kane Wommack deserves a lot of credit for limiting an Oklahoma offense that has the tools to make life difficult for defenses.

Special Teams: It might not be a stretch to say that Alabama lost the game on Saturday due to Special Teams. The first blunder occurred early in the first when the punt unit allowed a 42-yard punt return, setting up Oklahoma on the Alabama 30. Oklahoma converted that field position into a field goal. Next, Alabama’s defense forced a 3-and-out early in the 2nd quarter, just for Ryan Williams to fumble on punt return, setting up Oklahoma on the Alabama 31-yardline. Oklahoma quickly converted a touchdown. As time expired in the 2nd quarter, Conor Talty’s kick was blocked, missing from 36-yards. He was visibly upset, yelling at the long snapper. From that range, a kicker should get the ball up higher before the offensive line. His kick was flat and low, allowing for a defender to get a finger on it. By my count, Special Teams was responsible for 10 Oklahoma points and took 3 off of the board. Had any of those situations gone the other way, Alabama may not have lost by 2 points.

Week 13 Preview: Eastern Illinois Panthers

Eastern Illinois has a storied football history, producing quarterbacks Tony Romo, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Super Bowl Champion head coach Sean Payton. Eastern Illinois is an FCS program and member of the OVC-Big South Football Association. Ty Simpson’s father is the coach at UT-Martin who is a member of the OVC-Big South. EIU is led by head coach Chris Wilkerson, an EIU alumnus who played defensive tackle for the Panthers from 1991-1994. Before taking over the EIU job in 2022, Wilkerson was the head coach at the University of Chicago from 2013-2021. Eastern Illinois enters week 13 with a record of 3-8, losers of 6 straight. EIU plays two quarterbacks Sophomore Cole LaCrue and Freshman Connor Wolfe. Cole LaCrue is a dual-threat quarterback who has rushed 112 times for 514 yards and 7 touchdowns. Connor Wolfe is a pure passer, competing 83 passes for 1,054 yards and 8 touchdowns. Their top threat at running back is Charles Kellom. Kellom has rushed for 691 yards and 3 touchdowns so far this season. The quarterbacks distribute the ball evenly among receivers as 4 pass catchers have between 21 and 27 receptions. Junior CJ Nelson is their most dangerous receiver, averaging 17.9 yards per catch with a long of 75. On defense, their leading tacklers are linebackers Tylan Foster with 89 and Ja’Wuan Nickson with 87. Nickson is also a threat in the pass rush, recording 2 sacks this season. This game is a homecoming for Ja’Wuan Nickson who played high school football at Hillcrest in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He will likely have plenty of family and friends in attendance. Defensive back Isaiah Houi has been productive for the Panthers, recording 51 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and an interception. EIU’s primary kicker, Drew Schiller, struggled this season making only 11 of 17 attempts. Last week against Lindenwood, EIU changed to Freshman Nico Carrier who made 2 field goals inside 30-yards.

Week 13 Storylines:

Run the Football: Playing an FCS opponent, Alabama should be able to win the line of scrimmage. Alabama has been poor running the football so this offers an opportunity for them to get comfortable in the run game. Sometimes you simply need to see something happen to gain confidence. True Freshman AK Dear found success against UL-Monroe earlier in the season and may be able to provide a spark against Eastern Illinois. If they cannot get the run game started against EIU, it will likely not show up at all this season.

Special Teams Improvement: After a nightmare showing against Oklahoma, Alabama needs to show high effort and focus on Special Teams. Whether that means trying out new returners or even giving a walk-on a chance to kick, Alabama needs to demonstrate that they are taking Special Teams seriously.

What is your score prediction? Who will have a breakout game? As always, send me any questions or comments that you have. If you know of anyone who wants to join the newsletter, send their info my way.

Roll Tide! -Jake