A huge sigh of relief now sets on Crimson Tide fans.
Upon first glance of him getting up, it did not look good for Christian Miller.
The talented outside linebacker and senior leader suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of versus Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl and had to be assisted to the locker room. He positioned no weight on his leg and he did not return, which caused fans to assume the worst-case scenario.
While the initial rumors and reports said the injury was nothing more than a minor pull, sources confirmed with Touchdown Alabama Magazine of Miller’s issue not been too serious.
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Alabama will start its preparation for Clemson on Tuesday and Miller will be listed as “day-to-day,” in judging on how much can he do on a pulled hamstring.
He wants to do everything possible to play, seeing how the former five-star is the team’s best edge-setter run support and an exceptional pass rusher, but the Tide also knows he has a professional career ahead of him.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder is among team leaders in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (11.5) through 14 games; however, look for the trio of Jamey Mosley, LaBryan Ray and Eyabi Anoma to have opportunities — if Miller cannot go against the Tigers on Jan. 7 in Santa Clara, Calif.
Mosley, a redshirt senior, immediately replace Miller went he left.
The younger brother of former Alabama linebacker and All-American, C.J. Mosley, Jamey fully understands the defensive system and does a good job of setting the edge. He accounts for seven total tackles this season, including three stops for loss and one sack.
Ray, a sophomore, has a lot of athleticism — despite being 294 pounds.
The 6-foot-4 defensive end can be a hybrid outside linebacker and provide the Tide with a force in run sport and pressuring Trevor Lawrence.
Along with 37 tackles, Ray has posted 5.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks. He also chimes in two pass breakups and two quarterback pressures.
Anoma, a freshman, has been tapped as the next big time pass rusher.
He has turned in just nine tackles, but is highly explosive on the edge at 250 pounds. The five-star from Maryland possesses the acceleration to affect signal callers and negate all chances for offensive linemen to get their hands on him. He may not have all the experience yet; however, Anoma is available to stop a very good attack in Dabo Swinney’s offense.
The good news inside all this information is Miller is fine.
According to a graphic from Pro Football Focus, a website that dives into the analytics of college and professional football, Miller ranks fifth among the nation’s best rushers in his ability to affect quarterbacks.
Christian Miller currently ranks 5th among the nation’s edge defenders with a 12.1 pass-rush productivity after recording 39 pressures on just 203 pass-rushes pic.twitter.com/YH7nXWDCeI
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 31, 2018
He will be evaluated all week and will play if he feels he can go. Should he not take the field, the trio of Mosley, Ray and Anoma will be more than efficient versus Clemson.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
