Alabama football’s report card vs. Mississippi State
Inside Linebackers: B
The play from Christian Harris and Henry To’o To’o was disappointing last week to say the least. This is supposed to be one of Alabama football’s strongest units, and there has been little progress over the season.
Alabama needs a tone-setter on defense, and To’o To’o is a strong candidate to be just that. However, he hasn’t been a consistent tackler so far this year. Alabama lacks communication on defense, and that falls on the inside linebackers as they are supposed to be in charge of the defense.
Mississippi State planned to stretch the Tide defense horizontally, and the inside linebackers were tasked with defending from sideline to sideline. It wasn’t perfect execution, but they fared well. Harris was better in coverage, but he also got a big sack on third down in the first quarter.
Outside Linebackers: A+
Injuries have plagued this group all season. Alabama has already lost two of their three best outside linebackers, and Will Anderson is the only consistent player right now. Offenses can consistently double-team him, and there is no one on the other side of the formation to truly stop.
Anderson is one of the best outside linebackers in college football, and he deserves a ton of respect. Alabama just needs him to dominate regardless of who blocks him.
Anderson saw plenty of double teams in this one, but he still got pressure. He dominated on almost every rep. Even when he didn’t get a sack, he forced Will Rogers to go off-script. Still, he had four sacks and looked like a Heisman candidate. He took the loss to heart, and he was ready to dominate.