Alabama's Secondary Is Entering A Gauntlet Of Passing Attacks
The phrase that encapsulate the Crimson Tide's play against the Tennessee Volunteers: big plays.
Alabama's secondary could not stop the Hendon Hooker - Jalin Hyatt connection last Saturday, as Hyatt had the best game of his career with 207 receiving yards and five touchdowns, three of which were over 30 yards. Hooker also played with his usually elite accuracy, completing 70% percent of his passes for 385 yards (all of his touchdowns were to Hyatt).
Since the loss, both Nick Saban and his players have emphasized how to respond effectively, including Will Anderson's statement about "tucking in your shirt and being on time for meetings." According to Saban, the players have responded well, saying "I know a lot of people are disappointed in the results of the game, but I don’t think anybody’s as disappointed as we are internally — players, coaches — so we’re all working hard to try to get it right and they’ve responded fairly well.”
It's imperative for Alabama to bounce back this week. They are No. 6 in the AP Poll and have arguably the toughest remaining schedule; of their remaining conference games, all of them are SEC West opponents, and a loss, especially to Ole Miss, would make it virtually impossible to make the playoff as a 2-loss team without a conference championship to bolster its resume.
The odds are still in the Tide's favor, however. According to the Football Power Index, they have a 65.6% chance to win the division, and the fourth-best odds to reach the College Football Playoff. To make their goal a reality though, the secondary has to step up, and they'll have to do it going through a gauntlet of passing offenses.
Starting with the next opponent, Mississippi State's Will Rogers leads the SEC in passing yards and is one of only five FBS quarterbacks to eclipse 2,300 yards at this point in the season. Rogers has a solid pocket presence while throwing the ball all over the field, and he does so while spreading the wealth; no other SEC team has three players with at least 30 catches each, and Caleb Ducking, who's not afraid to go get it at 6-foot-5, is second with 33 catches to go with a third-best seven touchdowns.
After the Crimson Tide's bye week, the defense has to face LSU and Jayden Daniels, who completes his passes at a 69.23% clip, good enough for fifth-best in the SEC. He's also done so while only throwing one interception. Daniels' ball comes with some heat on it, and he's very much a threat to run (whether that's a sign of his dual-threat ability or him running for his life behind a bad offensive line is up to you). His favorite target his Malik Nabers, who is top-five in both catches and yards.
The gauntlet presumably ends with Jaxson Dart and Ole Miss, the leaders of the SEC West. Dart has Quinshon Judkins to lean on as his 10 rushing touchdowns are tied with Bijan Robinson for fifth in all of the FBS, but the sophomore quarterback isn't just a game manager. He is the youngster of the gauntlet QBs, and it shows with his six interceptions on the year, but it shouldn't lead to any slouching on the Crimson Tide's side.
Alabama's secondary will have to run the gauntlet, specifically not guys named Jordan Battle or Kool-aid McKinstry. Is this the time Eli Ricks finally gets his time to shine? How will DeMarcco Hellams respond after the Tennessee game? Each opponent poses a threat, but the good news (or bad depending on the view) is that the biggest challenge of the gauntlet is Mississippi State, the same program Alabama played after losing to Texas A&M last year. It'll be a full-team effort to contain the Bulldog passing attack as a crucial home stretch begins.
