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The Tuscaloosa News
What Alabama football's short-handed DB rooms mean for Missouri game: 'No excuses'
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- What Alabama football's short-handed DB rooms mean for Missouri game: 'No excuses'
Ever since Maurice Linguist joined Kalen DeBoer's Alabama football coaching staff, he's talked about how necessary depth is in the defensive backfield. As the No. 15 Crimson Tide prepare to face No. 17 Missouri Saturday , that necessity has become Alabama 's reality.
The Crimson Tide spent much of its 24-17 loss to Tennessee short-handed in the defensive backfield. But it's not a situation that is unique to Alabama.
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"I think we're in a situation similar to most teams right now where some guys who maybe weren't starters at the beginning of the year, we're relying upon to have meaningful reps for us," Linguist said. "And at the end of the day, no excuses. We have to find a way to go to battle in the SEC and find a way to go and get a W."
Alabama will be without safety Keon Sabb for the foreseeable future. DeBoer said Monday the Michigan transfer has a "lower extremity injury" and that he expects Sabb to "be down down for a while." Sabb is the only defensive back listed as out for Saturday's game according to the team's first availability report. Red Morgan is listed as probable, and DeVonta Smith and Zabien Brown were not listed.
Injuries may not be unique to Alabama. But the hand DeBoer and his staff were dealt could be.
Kalen DeBoer dealt 'thin' Alabama football DB room
Alabama lost nine defensive backs to the transfer portal, including freshman All-American safety Caleb Downs and cornerback Trey Amos , who was the third cornerback for the Crimson Tide in 2023 behind Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry .
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Even with the additions of King Mack ( Penn State ), DaShawn Jones (Wake Forest), Kam Howard (Charlotte), Sabb (Michigan) and Domani Jackson (USC), defensive back depth remained an issue for DeBoer heading into his first season.
Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy (5) tries to fight off Alabama defensive backs Domani Jackson (1) and Keon Sabb (3) during an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Knoxville. Tenn.
"It was a position that we were thin in to begin with, just the way things happened," DeBoer said on the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. "It's no fault of anything that was done before. Just the timing of the portal and the transition here. So our numbers were down."
As the season has continued, DeBoer said he and the defensive staff have had to cultivate multiple plans to ensure depth as injuries hit both the cornerback and safety rooms.
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Through seven games, Alabama has the ninth-ranked defense in the SEC, allowing 210.6 passing yards per game and 10.8 yards per completion. The Crimson Tide has allowed nine passing touchdowns along with eight interceptions.
Facing a banged up defensive backfield, Alabama is focused on a next-man-up mentality. And no one knows that more than Bray Hubbard, who took Sabb's place next to Malachi Moore Saturday against Tennessee , and will continue as a starter Saturday afternoon against Missouri .
It's a moment Alabama defensive backs coach Colin Hitschler said Hubbard's ready for.
"The message has always been the same for him," Hitschler said. "And I think that's one of the coolest parts about him. He was ready to be a starter from day one. So the second it happened and he had to go out there, the confidence was already there. So there's no special message. It's just go do your thing, man. You're a good player."
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It's the next-man-up mentality, something DeBoer said that has been representative of the defensive back group over the past two weeks.
"I'm proud of the way these guys continue to fight, to get out on the football field and to go out there and do everything they can to win a football game," DeBoer said.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What Alabama football's short-handed DB rooms mean for Missouri game
