Alabama Football: Tide’s report card in 2020 Iron Bowl

Alabama football’s report card vs. Auburn

Cornerbacks: A

One of Alabama’s weaknesses in the secondary has been tackling. Patrick Surtain started this game with a massive tackle for loss on Seth Williams. Stopping Williams was a key for the Crimson Tide, so this was a good start for the cornerbacks.

Malachi Moore also showed his tackling ability against Anthony Schwartz, the fastest player on Auburn’s team. Moore has proven that he is the future of the Alabama secondary, and his interception to end the first half was vital. Josh Jobe also came close to forcing a fumble on Schwartz.

This group has been so good this year. We were all wondering how Josh Jobe would look this year. Not only has he been strong, but Malachi Moore is already a star. Patrick Surtain is the player we all expected, so this group has been better than almost any group of corners Nick Saban has had.

Safeties: A-

Tackling has improved across the board for Alabama football. Both Jordan Battle and Daniel Wright made key tackles in the open field in the first half. However, Wright still made some mistakes. He gave Seth Williams a chance to score an easy touchdown, but it was thankfully dropped.

We came into 2020 with the secondary being a weakness. The corners are now a strength, and the safeties are getting better with each game. Jordan Battle is a great tackler, and Wright is improving. Brian Branch is seeing more reps, which is great for the depth of this unit. His interception was great to watch. If they can stop Schwartz and Williams, they can stop almost anyone in college football. This will be vital when playing against the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship.