Alabama Offense Opened Up When Elijah Pritchett Entered Game

The Crimson Tide scored 21 unanswered points over the final six minutes on the three series Elijah Pritchett played at right tackle.

Sep 7, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) celebrates after a touchdown run against the South Florida Bulls at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 42-16. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— For 54 minutes of Alabama's game against South Florida on Saturday night, the Crimson Tide struggled to do anything offensively. Alabama couldn't run the ball effectively, and the offensive line struggled in run blocking and pass protection. The Tide had just 14 points and 57 yards on the ground heading into the fourth quarter with a one-point lead.

Jalen Milroe connected with Kobe Prentice to push the Alabama lead to eight points, but South Florida responded with a drive right down the field to cut the deficit back down to five. That's when things shifted for the Crimson Tide offense. Elijah Pritchett entered at right tackle for Wilkin Formby, and Alabama scored 21 unanswered points over the final 5:50 of the game to win 42-16.

"Toward the end, we really focused on just doing our job, doing our responsibilities," Alabama center Parker Brailsford said. "So whatever we had to get done, we were going to do it. That’s really what helped us."

On the first series Pritchett was in the game, Milroe found freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams for a 43-yard touchdown in a three-play, 75-yard drive. For the next series, junior running back Jam Miller broke through a hole on the right side and squirted down the field for a 56-yard touchdown that put the game away.

Alabama then got the ball back with just under two minutes to go, and Justice Haynes burst through the right side for a 29-yard score with Pritchett helping clean up a block at the end of the play that allowed Haynes to reach the end zone.

ANGRY RUNS. 😤👀🚂@justicehaynes6

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/b1hhSXT3Sj

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 8, 2024

"We all believe in our teammates," Miller said. "From the oldest guy to the youngest, we all just believe in each other. If a new guy comes into the game, we know what he’s going to do and that he’s going to do his best.”

Formby and Pritchett battled throughout fall camp at right tackle, and the coaches said it would be a position battle that would continue through the season. However, after Kadyn Proctor got injured in pregame warmups against Western Kentucky, Pritchett started at left tackle and Formby played at right. Against South Florida on Saturday, Formby once again started at right tackle, but Tyler Booker started at left tackle instead of his usual spot at left guard. Michigan State transfer Geno VanDeMark filled in for Booker at left guard.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said that Pritchett got a "minor ding" against Western Kentucky and hadn't practiced much at the beginning of the week, but did practice on Wednesday and Thursday. However, Pritchett had mostly practiced on the left side, and Alabama felt confident in Booker and VanDeMark. According to DeBoer, Pritchett could have started, but they were trying to hold out and keep him as healthy as possible.

"He’s got that fight mentality in him," Miller said of Pritchett. "Sometimes you’ve got to fight through injuries.”

The biggest change for DeBoer over the final few minutes was that his team stopped committing penalties. Alabama finished the night with 13 penalties for 120 yards. Nine of those 13 penalties were on offense, and they negated multiple big plays and touchdowns. Formby struggled on the night with three recording holding penalties on his own and a fourth that was offset by a penalty on South Florida, but wiped out a big catch from Prentice.

"It was just not having penalties, not being behind the chains," DeBoer said. "You guys saw it too, and it’s hard to call a game. It’s hard to overcome second-and-long, third-and-long situations. 

“And so we had to learn some lessons the hard way tonight. There’s no doubt about it. Two touchdowns that are called back because of holding calls and obviously the turnover inside the 5-yard line. When we didn’t hold and we were moving the ball forward, good things were happening. But we have to be able to do it on consecutive plays over and over and over again and have sustained drives."

Alabama went three-and-out six times in the game, but scored on all three possessions with Pritchett in the game. DeBoer said Alabama should be in a better spot health wise heading into the Wisconsin game, which likely means that Proctor will be back. But if it seemed like the right tackle position was settled after the season opener, Pritchett put his name back in the ring with his performance in the closing minutes Saturday night.