Alabama’s defense had its best performance of the season in week nine against No. 21 Missouri. The Crimson Tide cruised to a 34-0 victory over the Tigers. One thing stood out in particular from the dominant shutout.
Alabama defensive back Red Morgan did not play against the Tigers due to an injury he suffered against Tennessee a week prior. Alabama starting safety Keon Sabb suffered a broken foot against Tennessee, so he will be out for an extended period of time. Altogether, Alabama’s secondary was somewhat short-handed in comparison to past games.
That did not stop the secondary from putting together its most complete performance of the season. Missouri’s top two wide receivers — Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. were held in check for all four quarters. The duo combined to finish with five receptions for 22 yards.
While the secondary did its part, the front-seven did as well. The thing that stood out the most was the cohesiveness and effort level. There seemed to be a sense of urgency to prove something and a sense of pride in holding the Tigers offense scoreless. The last time that Missouri was held scoreless was in 2019 against Georgia.
It is a steppingstone for the future for the defense. Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack had a great gameplan, and the players went out and executed at a high level. That will need to continue to happen to keep Alabama’s hopes of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff alive.
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Brody Smoot is a team reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on X, via @brodysmoot.
