Nick Saban needs one of his fiery halftime speeches in the locker room.
Alabama has a 21-10 lead over Kansas State at halftime, but the execution has been poor on offense and defense.
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Bryce Young has 211 passing yards and three touchdowns, moving him over former Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron (75) for second all-time in school history for career touchdown passes (78). The Wildcats have gotten pressure on Young and the Tide have not run the ball effectively. Isaiah Bond, Cameron Latu, and Jermaine Burton have Young’s scoring tosses.
Burton leads Alabama with three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Jordan Battle shares the team lead for total tackles (eight) and recorded an interception. Brian Branch has eight tackles, including two tackles for loss. Deontae Lawson posted a good first half as the starting weakside linebacker. He collected five tackles, including 1.5 stops for loss. Deuce Vaughn, a junior, has 108 yards rushing for Kansas State — including an 88-yard touchdown.
The Wildcats have 239 yards offensively, 11 first downs, six yards per play, and ideal execution on third and fourth down plays.
Alabama’s defense must improve in pressuring Will Howard and stopping Vaughn in the second half.
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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.
