After surrendering a whopping 647 yards and 48 points to Ole Miss, Alabama’s defense has some serious soul searching to do on and off the field.
But with now three practices left between kickoff against Georgia defensive coordinator Pete Golding has a tall task ahead of him to get the group ready. Not only will he need to try and solve the run defense before Georgia’s run dominant offense comes to town, but the team also needs to figure out the back end of the unit.
Alabama will be without safety Jordan Battle for the first half of this Saturday’s game due to a targeting call called on him during the Ole Miss game. Battle has performed quite well in the run and pass game to start the season as he is second on the team in tackles with 26 and tied for the team lead in pass deflections with two.
The team had issues at the other safety spot as well during the game as Daniel Wright went to the bench in the second half in favor of sophomore defensive back DeMarcco Hellams. Wright has struggled throughout the year with missed tackles that continued into the Ole Miss game.
Missing tackles is something the Crimson Tide will not be able to get away with against Kirby Smart’s team this week and Hellams might have to be the one to step up and fill a void for Alabama in either spot.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in DeMarcco,” head coach Nick Saban said. “I think he went in there and did a good job. He’s been a really good special teams player for us, played some in dime.”
Although Georgia’s ability to pass the ball downfield is not as dynamic as Lane Kiffin’s team, the Bulldog’s commitment to the run game will open up opportunities for play-action plays which will put some stress on the secondary to stay disciplined in coverage.
Even with Battle returning in the second half, it will be on Alabama’s other options at safety to step up and play solid football in order to hold Georgia’s offense in check.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
