Alabama football was without its best interior pass rusher versus Missouri, despite a 38-19 victory.
A minor knee injury cost Christian Barmore an opportunity to play week one, but the redshirt sophomore returned to the Crimson Tide’s defensive line last week against Texas A&M.
He did not record a single number in the stats column; however, Barmore was involved in pressuring Kellen Mond in the pocket.
The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder was just happy to be on the field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium with his teammates again. Through 12 games in 2019, he totaled 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, five quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.
According to Nick Saban, Barmore had no issues in practice last week.
“He (Barmore) is good,” Saban said on Monday. “He will play more and more as we go. We did not play him in the first game. He had a role in the second game, which he did a pretty good job. He practiced well all last week. If he continues to progress, his role will increase.”
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Prior to the start of the season, a few media pundits in the Southeastern Conference had Barmore as a defensive breakout player.
He earned Freshman All-SEC team honors last season and has the potential to be really special.
With the Crimson Tide facing a high-powered offense in the Mississippi Rebels this week, it will need for Barmore to be as disruptive as possible on the road.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
