Alabama football feels like it is building something on its offensive line.
During the Crimson Tide's 23-21 loss to Oklahoma , Alabama did not rotate on the right side of its offensive line. Michael Carroll and Wilkin Formby manned the right side at tackle and guard, respectively. The only rotation came at left guard with Kam Dewberry and Geno VanDeMark splitting snaps.
And to Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer , the unit "did a pretty good job" and there were moments where there was clear improvement on the line's overall execution.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb took the praise a step further.
It was a pass block that did allow four sacks — only two of which were credited by Pro Football Focus to the offensive line — but that "picked up some really good pressures and gave us a chance."
It was a run block that was "as good as we've done," creating "big holes" that the running backs "just didn't freaking hit."
"It sucks, because the O-line worked their tails off and that's a part that I know they see that, I know that our guys see that on film, so I thought the O-line played well," Grubb said.
And for Grubb, that started with Fomby at right guard.
"I thought Wilkin played outstanding," Grubb said. "We challenged him. Me personally, I put Wilkin on the spot playing right guard, that has not been something that he's done over his career, and he played really well. I thought, after you watched the film, the interior of the pocket was as good as I've seen all year. Like, countless times, you saw Ty (Simpson) climbing the pocket, able to rip (the) ball over the middle, and I thought Wilk was a big part of that."
DeBoer said Formby "did a nice job getting off the ball." But the Alabama coach's attention turned to Carroll, who was "out there competing."
"You know he's gonna give everything you he has," DeBoer said. "There's no doubt about it. He doesn't look like a freshman, and he's played a lot of snaps this year that are meaningful. Together, I think those guys had a good week of practice. And again, it wasn't perfect, things that they could have been better on, but there's a lot of a lot of success that they had together as well."
That success carried over from practice, Grubb said. The offensive line "really brought the energy and the juice." And it's something the Alabama offensive coordinator expects to continue.
"I'm anticipating those guys continuing to build and honestly keep taking the right steps forward here late in the season," Grubb said.
Alabama will face Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 22 on SEC Network+.
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: Alabama football offensive line develops after Oklahoma loss
