Alabama Receivers Trying to Build on Momentum of Last Three Quarters

Nick Saban called Ja'Corey Brooks a "dog" earlier this week, but what about the rest of the receivers behind him?

Even though Nick Saban doesn't use social media, the Alabama head coach is still up to date on a popular meme when it comes to describing one of his wide receivers.

"The guy’s a dog," Saban said Monday about the Crimson Tide's leading receiver, Ja'Corey Brooks. 

Saban likely did not have the, "he's got that dog in him" meme in mind when talking about Brooks, but the reference made it clear how Brooks is perceived by his head coach— a physical, hard worker. Saban mentioned the work the wide receiver puts in on special teams and his contributions to the team all season. 

But does the Alabama wide receiver corps as a whole have that "dog" in them? Does it show the physicality and fight needed to succeed in the SEC week after week? Now, that one is not as clear. 

Brooks leads all receivers in receptions (32), yards (534) and touchdowns (six.) Running back Jahmyr Gibbs has technically been the favorite target of Alabama's quarterbacks this year with 40 receptions, but for the sake of the breakdown, his primary job is not a receiver. 

Alabama's 2022 receiving stats through 10 games

Name	Position	Receptions	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns
Ja'Corey Brooks	WR	32	534	6
Jermaine Burton	WR	27	375	4
Jahmyr Gibbs	RB	40	370	3
Cameron Latu	TE	24	305	3
Kobe Prentice	WR	30	290	1
Traeshon Holden	WR	21	266	5
Isaiah Bond	WR	9	159	0
Jase McClellan	RB	12	154	2
JoJo Earle	WR	9	138	2
Kendrick Law	WR	5	48	0

Behind Brooks, it has been challenging to find any consistency from game to game. And even Brooks got off to a slow start to open the season. The sophomore only had four catches through Alabama's first three games, but then had his breakout game against Vanderbilt with two touchdowns and 117 yards on six catches. 

Junior Traeshon Holden was one of the top targets in the first four games with 214 yards and four touchdowns. But in the six games since then, Holden only has 52 total yards and one touchdowns and did not record a catch in either of Alabama's last two games against LSU and Ole Miss. 

Alabama looked to the transfer portal in the offseason for help at the position in Jermaine Burton from Georgia and Tyler Harrell from Louisville. Burton is second on the team in receiving yards and had several key catches, including a touchdown, against Ole Miss, but doesn't yet have a 100-yard receiving game on the season. And Harrell has dealt with an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of the year. He's only appeared in two games and has one catch.

Freshmen Kobe Prentice and Isaiah Bond have shown flashes at times, but then have games where they go quiet. Fellow freshman Kendrick Law served in mostly special teams roles this season and went eight games between catches, but helped the offense with three receptions against Ole Miss. 

JoJo Earle was one of the Crimson Tide's best returning receivers; however, he was hampered by an injury in fall camp that kept him off the field to start the year. The whole receiving group has been plagued by drops all season. 

These receivers have the reigning Heisman trophy winner throwing to them in Bryce Young, but he can only do so much. Last year, he had Jameson Williams and John Metchie III to turn to when he needed a big play, third-down conversion or touchdown. Now, it's less of a certainty.  Saban has said multiple times this season that the players around Young need to do better. 

"Look, we need to do a better job around Bryce," Saban said in early November. "We've got to protect him better. We can't let people push the pocket on him. We've got to do a better job of running routes so that we have trust that the people are going to do exactly what they're supposed to do."

Alabama made a step in that direction in the final three quarters of Saturday's win over Ole Miss. After struggling to get things going in the first quarter with just 22 total offensive yards, the Crimson Tide found more consistency in both the running and passing game. Brooks, Burton and tight end Cameron Latu all had touchdowns. And like previously mentioned, Burton and Law had some key catches to extend drives against the Rebels. 

Saban talked about wanting to build upon the momentum of the second half, and Brooks sees things from that game that the wide receivers can for the final two games of the regular season against Austin Peay and Auburn, plus whatever bowl game the Crimson Tide may end up in. 

"We all can watch film and see that we need to get better in certain aspects of the game," Brooks said. "But it was a great win, a great team win. We were happy and we had a lot of energy in the locker room after the game, and we want to keep that momentum going for the last couple of games that we need to play."

Despite already having two losses, Alabama is still focused on finishing the season strong, but that doesn't mean some of the young receivers can't prove where they will fit in the offense moving forward as well. 

Alabama has had at least one wide receiver selected in the first round of the NFL draft three years in a row and four of the last five years, and that streak will come to an end this year. There will probably be players once again coming and going from the transfer portal at the position. But plenty of young talent on the roster has the opportunity to impress over the final three games and prove why they will be an important piece of the Alabama offense for years to come. 

See also:

Everything Nick Saban Said Monday of Austin Peay Week

Emil Ekiyor Living a Lineman's Dream With Big Hit Against Ole Miss

How To Watch: No. 8 Alabama vs. Austin Peay

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