Alabama football gets everyone’s best game not matter the moment.
This has happened all season, but the Crimson Tide handled it the right way last week. After suffering a 17-24 loss to Tennessee, Alabama chose to bounce back versus Missouri for homecoming. Kalen DeBoer witnessed his group produce a 34-0 victory, claiming the Tide’s first shutout win over a Southeastern Conference opponent since 2020. Alabama remains alive for an opportunity to be among the 12 teams for the College Football Playoff, yet it has to stack together more strong games.
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Jihaad Campbell, a junior inside linebacker, introduced a mentality Alabama has bought into with trying to prove it can still punish, bully, and physically dominate teams. He finished with a team-high for tackles (eight) and had a stop for loss and a sack.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Campbell said after the game. “We are at Alabama for a reason. We are all blessed to be here. We all look at is as adversity, but we are always going to get pressure against us. Our back is always going to be against the wall.”
Campbell said the leadership on this team holds itself to a standard before it can address the young players. He mentioned how everything starts mentally for Alabama’s defense in wanting to make tackles, create huge plays, and ultimately being great.
“Me, for example, I pull guys to the side and let them know what’s going on,” Campbell said. “I tell them about how they can get better or how they can prepare like a pro. When they get the opportunity, they attacked it and prepared for it.”
Campbell was proud of the defense and is happy for the bye week, but he wants to keep the success going.
Alabama’s defense forced three takeaways to help it put away Missouri. People are going to continue to talk about the Tide, especially with it trying to show it belongs in the playoff. LSU is next on Alabama’s schedule coming after the bye week.
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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.
