Even in a solid performance to open its 2020 season, there are some things that Alabama football needs to clean up.
Defensively, it is a big deal to have Dylan Moses back. The captain at middle linebacker had teammates in the right spot and pursued the ball himself in the first half versus Missouri.
When it came to having a balanced attack, Eliah Drinkwitz and the Tigers could not establish any momentum. Alabama’s first-team defense stuffed the run, pressured the passing game and its speed on the edge gave Missouri problems.
While it took a 28-3 lead into halftime, a few issues that plagued the Crimson Tide a season ago reared back up in the second half.
Regardless of it limiting Tigers’ running back Larry Rountree to 67 yards rushing, there were moments when he broke arm tackles.
He did not rip off chunk yardage plays, but he did keep a couple of drives alive.
In the defensive secondary, Alabama still needs to consistently break down and make tackles.
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Aside from that, the Tide had a couple of busted plays in coverage. On the 54-yard to Tyler Badie in the fourth quarter, the linebackers and defensive backs lost sight of the running back.
Shawn Robinson of Missouri found him on a wheel route and Badie took it the distance.
During the final score for the Tigers as time expired, no one accounted for Connor Bazelak at quarterback and he rushed for a 7-yard touchdown.
If the communication was crisp on both plays, the final score would have been 35-6 or 38-6 in favor of Alabama. Nick Saban’s bunch emerged with a 38-19 win, but it allowed two late touchdowns.
With the exception of Patrick Surtain II, the Tide does not have a lot of experience on the back end.
For players like Josh Jobe, DeMarcco Hellams and Daniel Wright, this is their first season as starters. Jordan Battle, a sophomore, played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2019 and will get better. Malachi Moore, a true freshman, earned the starting job at star (nickel) and had a good performance. Having constant communication is going to be important for the unit.
A lot of good came from Pete Golding (Alabama defensive coordinator) and the defense last week; however, there is always room for improvement. This team is on a mission for a national championship and in order to win it, everyone must be on the same page.
The Tide has to finish in everything it does on defense. It will have a chance to play a complete game against Texas A&M.
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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.
