Massive flaw in Alabama’s defense still exposed in win over Georgia

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

There’s no doubt that Saturday’s win over Georgia completely realigned Alabama’s outlook on the 2025 season. The week one snafu against Florida State appears to have been the kick in the rear this team needed in order to snap out the hypnosis of the yet to be earned offseason expectations.

Although there was a lot to like from what was seen in the 24-21 victory in Athens, there were still some major concerns from the defensive side of the ball that need to be addressed.

Even with one full year and offseason to train in defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s 3-3-5 scheme, holes and mistakes remain that are all too familiar from a season ago. A glaring issues appears to be the inability for the Crimson Tide’s front to read and react to misdirection in the run game.

Some of the more explosive and timely plays from the Bulldogs offense came when utilizing motion from its receivers to put the second level of Alabama’s defense in conflict. This allowed the Georgia offensive line to consistently get leverage up front and seal off Justin Jefferson and Deontae Lawson from being able to play fast on the edge.

Running back Chauncey Bowens was a major beneficiary from the inability of the backend of the defense to get a proper read. Bowens ripped off 29 and 43 yard bursts to drag a struggling Bulldogs offense back into the game which saw Alabama take an early 14-0 lead.

Wommack’s group was able to get a timely stop deep in its own territory with LT Overton tackling London Humphreys on fourth down, but the point remains that stopping the run continues to be a thorn in its side. The Bulldogs tallied a grand total of 227 yards on the ground.

When considering that Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton was struggling to move the ball consistently through the air, allowing the chunk plays to come on the ground were all the more glaring. The Seminoles took advantage of the motion early in the season, but the template was put out by next weekends opponent.

Vanderbilt.

Quarterback Diego Pavia executed the perfect game plan to confuse and keep the Alabama defense guessing during the 40-35 upset.

The Crimson Tide’s fight and competitive fire is clearly there but in order to fully thrust itself into the national championship conversation, it has to sharpen up the schematics defensively.

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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77