Alabama’s offense gave us so many explosive plays against Georgia, including those from Ryan Williams.
The true freshman wide receiver was breathtaking; however, Alabama had a position unit versus the Bulldogs that showed its importance with marquee moments. Nick Sheridan and Kalen DeBoer got tight ends involved early and often in the Tide’s 41-34 victory over Georgia in an SEC thriller. CJ Dippre, a former Maryland transfer, had his best outing as a member of Alabama.
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He had four catches for 38 yards, including two receptions for first downs. Dippre provided a secure target for Jalen Milroe against Georgia’s defense, especially when Alabama lined up in empty sets. Josh Cuevas had two receptions and Robbie Ouzts caught a pass as well. Sheridan and DeBoer mentioned to the media on Monday that the tight ends were a priority last week.
The involvement of that position in the offense had Kirby Smart confused. Milroe worked deep balls to Williams, intermediate routes to other receivers, and he had the tight ends sitting in the zone. Alabama could become unstoppable if it continues crafting ways to utilize its tight ends. Sheridan really enjoyed seeing what Dippre provided upon given an opportunity versus Georgia.
“I think CJ’s size is rare,” Sheridan said.
“He is a big person, and I think he’s hard to tackle when he gets going. That showed up in the game and it showed throughout fall camp and spring practice. I thought he did a nice job of breaking tackles and running downhill behind his pads.”
Coach DeBoer said the tight end position has always been significant to his offense.
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“The ability to line up wide, come in tight, hand down, off the ball, the more things our guys can do — especially skill players — in our offense, the more versatile we will become,” DeBoer said. “With CJ in particular, he has continued to find his way into this offense. And, the guys are finding him. He did a nice job and has done a nice job taking advantage of these opportunities. There was just more of them. That was part of the plan. He did a very nice job and so did the other tight ends.”
Alabama fans have been waiting for the tight ends to break out. The group has a lot of confidence going forward.
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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.
