National media is piling on what it does not like about this Alabama team under Kalen DeBoer.
Alabama was suppose to handle South Carolina last week at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but it narrowly escaped with a two-point victory and fans are highly concerned. Jalen Milroe tossed two interceptions, the Gamecocks converted seven of 15 third-down attempts, and South Carolina won time of possession. Domani Jackson, a cornerback, saved the game for the Crimson Tide on a late interception in the fourth quarter.
Alabama exited Saban Field with a 27-25 win, but the 5-1 team does not look like the dominant groups from the Nick Saban era.
Tom Luginbill of ESPN said Alabama ‘lacks the urgency of dominance’ right now.
“There just doesn’t seem to be this urgency of dominance from this football team.” – @TomLuginbill on what he’s seen from Alabama pic.twitter.com/kdEJH2AIFD
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 14, 2024
“I thought there was a tremendous amount of situational awareness that was lacking from Alabama throughout the course of the game,” Luginbill said Monday on The Next Round Show.
“The last five to six minutes or so in the second quarter were inexplicable, sloppy, and dangerous when it comes to the types of plays you are making and what they led to. I don’t know why Jalen Milroe seems to have this thing for holding on to the football and especially against a team like that whose two best players are along the defensive front in Kennard and Stewart.”
RELATED: Former Alabama QB highlights Crimson Tide’s most glaring problem under Kalen DeBoer
South Carolina sacked Milroe four times. Kyle Kennard totaled two sacks and three tackles for loss.
Milroe put himself in bad situations last week that could have been avoided if he threw the ball away.
We are not seeing a well-coached team on either side of the ball for the Tide. Players are not executing assignments consistently and the coaching staff has been outclassed since the first quarter versus Georgia. This has to be fixed if Alabama wants to become a championship team.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
