Alabama fans had questions about Eric Wolford to start the season.
Veteran players on the offensive line — including JC Latham, Tyler Booker, and Seth McLaughlin — spoke about the Crimson Tide wanting to be more physical and dominant up front. The Crimson Tide struggled with creating the identity against Middle Tennessee State and Texas, but its offensive front started to show life in the second half versus South Florida. It continued trending upward in a matchup with Mississippi, and Nick Saban complimented the line for its efforts last week.
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Alabama did not have a lot of explosive plays, but its offensive line created balance. It had efficiency with Jalen Milroe at quarterback while totaling 193 yards rushing and three rushing scores. The Tide averaged 4.5 yards per rushing attempt in a victory over Mississippi State. Coach Wolford’s group cleared the way for Milroe to have a game-high 69 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Milroe was sacked four times; however, it was not because of the offensive line. The group protected him well and gave him time to throw, but the sophomore quarterback held onto the ball too long. He has to improve in that area.
In his postgame presser, Coach Saban praised the offensive front for how it handled the Bulldogs.
“They played really well,” Saban said about Alabama’s offensive line.
“Those guys, I mean, you guys could tell they (Mississippi State) were plugging and stunting a lot, right? That is tough for an offensive line to block movement and plugging all the time. I think the offensive line did a fantastic job controlling the line of scrimmage. I think that it’s important for our team to have balance.”
Alabama improved to 4-1 after a 40-17 victory over the Bulldogs.
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Wolford and the offensive line now have discovered an identity. Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games versus South Florida and Ole Miss. Alabama had a balanced attack against Mississippi State, and now it prepares for an SEC West showdown against Texas A&M.
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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.
