Alabama Football Swagger: 2017 Week 3 All-Stars

A weekly article series examining two players walking with swagger for the Alabama football team. This week – Robert Foster & Keith Holcombe.

Now to fully understand what the Alabama Football Swagger is, it means to have reason to walk with a confident, proud air around you. Some people mistake it for vanity, arrogance, or being pompous. This incorrect assumption is not what we mean. The Swagger is about knowing that your deeds showed off your amazing skills to the football-loving public.

Momentum was defined by one of these men. The other may have earned his swagger by default.

Offense – Robert Foster

Back, Jalen Hurts fans! Back, I say!

There’s absolutely no disrespect intended on the sophomore quarterback, here. Hurts put the ‘big hurt’ on the Colorado State University Rams on Saturday. His numbers alone, normally, would have helped Hurts defend his title this week. However, Foster’s 52-yard reception for a touchdown was the turning point for Alabama football to reign supreme over the Rams that night.

Ask Alabama head coach Nick Saban, if you don’t believe it. Michael Casagrande of AL.com reported Saban stating, “‘It was huge because they got the momentum in the game.’ To answer after two CSU scores, it was ‘huge.’ When you allow ‘teams like this’ to stay in the game, scores like Fosters’ make a statement.”

What a timely statement it was, too!

The Crimson Tide were only up by a touchdown (17-10) in the final minute of the second quarter when Foster broke loose. Just before that point, all the momentum was behind CSU. Then, lightning struck CSU hearts in the form of Foster flashing down the field. Calvin Ridley did it three times, earning 92 yards and a touchdown of his own, but Foster’s was just when the Tide needed a turn for the better.

Hurts may have thrown Foster the pass, but Foster was the one who got open, caught the ball, and shook off the CSU defenders faster than James Brown shaking off his cape, telling the fans that he’s not done yet!

And, because of Foster’s TD, neither was Alabama.

Defense – Keith Holcombe

It’s not like Holcombe’s career night of nine total tackles was anything to be embarrassed about. However, let’s not kid ourselves: this week’s swagger award seems pretty much like through default.

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Hootie Jones and Ronnie Harrison earned interceptions that stopped two CSU drives, but they didn’t stop the opposing quarterback Nick Stevens and his favorite receiving target Michael Gallup from marching down the field. Stevens threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Gallup had five catches for 81 of Stevens’ passing yards.

Gallup averaged over 16 yards a catch, slowly bleeding the Alabama defense. With Gallup getting more attention, the field opened up for six other CSU receivers to earn 15 yards or more.

In order to stop the hemorrhaging, Holcombe did his best to be all over the field like an army doctor. With five starters out of the lineup, that was no easy task. He had to be quick and efficient in zone packages while reading pass or run. Except for a 29-yard scamper by tailback Dayln Dawkins, the CSU running game was relatively contained, leaving Alabama to focus on the aerial assault.

CSU scored 23 points in a game where Alabama football was to win by at least 31 points, according to ESPN. The difference was actually 18 points.

Without Holcombe, it would have been much closer but that isn’t going to give him a big head around campus. As a squad, the defense needs to play with more swagger. The secondary itself needs to be playing like they are crap on velcro: irritating and almost impossible to get off once it’s stuck on.

Next: SEC Football Swagger: One big step forward and two steps back

Final Thoughts:

It was a win taken for all and all. Hopefully, Alabama football fans shall not have to look upon its like again. Defense wins games when the offense is matched by the opposing team. CSU might have had to start with targeting one receiver, but better teams like Vanderbilt won’t need to do that. Foster and the offense may strut their stuff in class this week, but there may be some doubt in the minds of the defense as they walk through Tuscaloosa.

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