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The Tuscaloosa News
Alabama football schedule turns to struggling offenses, tough defenses | Goodbread
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama football schedule turns to struggling offenses, tough defenses | Goodbread
With five games remaining, Alabama football can be sure of this much: it won't face an offense as prolific as Tennessee 's for the remainder of the season. But it will most certainly face some tougher defenses.
As the Crimson Tide (6-1, 4-0 SEC) continues to work toward a berth in the SEC Championship Game, a clear theme emerges from the second half of its league schedule. The finish is comprised of South Carolina , LSU , Oklahoma and Auburn . Each of those four has had its struggles offensively this season, but can rely on a stout defense good enough to win games, or at least keep them close.
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In other words, they look nothing like the Volunteers .
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The UT offense has been a points machine for much of the season, but in losing to Alabama 37-20 on Saturday, Oct. 18, it could not get its passing attack in much of a rhythm. Conversely, the Crimson Tide offense took advantage of Tennessee's more vulnerable defense as quarterback Ty Simpson posted another strong performance in leading touchdown drives of 91 and 99 yards.
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Consider, by contrast, Alabama 's upcoming opponent, South Carolina. The Gamecocks offense ranks a woeful 127th out of 134 FBS teams in total offense, averaging 297.7 yards per game. Coach Shane Beamer fired his offensive line coach, Lonnie Teasley, last week, but the results Saturday were no better as the Gamecocks lost 27-6 to Oklahoma. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has thrown only five touchdown passes all season. Holding together this 3-4 team is a defense that allows only 20 points per game, which ranks tied for 34th in the nation. Not great, but vastly better than the offense.
And the balance of the schedule thereafter will be more of the same.
Oklahoma features the nation's No. 2 scoring defense at 9.4 points allowed per game, while LSU ranks 10th at 14.7 ppg. Auburn 's defense isn't far behind, ranked 24th at 17.9. They can all get stops, force turnovers and drag opponents into low-scoring, close games. That could prove challenging for Crimson Tide offensive coordinator and play caller Ryan Grubb.
But those remaining offenses lined up for the Crimson Tide? Woof.
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LSU, Oklahoma and Auburn are all in the bottom half of the FBS in scoring. LSU has a young, inexperienced offensive line that has struggled for much of the season, and QB Garett Nussmeier has had his problems as a result. Oklahoma QB John Mateer was thought to be the right answer in Norman, but he's thrown nearly as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns (seven). Then there's Auburn's offense, which has sputtered behind OU's quarterback of last year, Jackson Arnold , and has yet to score more than 17 in an SEC game this year.
These are offenses that will stop themselves at times, which should be music to the ears of Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.
For Grubb, however, the task is taller.
And the defenses are nasty.
Tuscaloosa News sport columnist Chase Goodbread.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football schedule turns to struggling offenses, tough defenses
