The College Football Playoff has arrived for Alabama much earlier than expected. After back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee threw away the margin for error the Crimson Tide worked so hard to build through a 5-0 start, it's win-or-go-home time for Kalen DeBoer and his team.
That starts this weekend against a similarly desperate Texas A&M team that enters the matchup at just 4-3. The Aggies entered the season as a preseason Top 10 team and were expected to make it back to the playoff for the second straight season. They've instead been one of the most disappointing teams in the country.
They have a distinct advantage this week, though. While Alabama has gotten beaten and battered the last two weeks in physical contests, Texas A&M got a softball against The Citadel. Thanks for that, SEC!
Alabama is dealing with a lot of injuries heading into this week, but they've got to find a way to get it done regardless. These four players stepping up would go a long way toward ensuring a Crimson Tide win at Bryant-Denny.
1. Daniel Hill
Freshman EJ Crowell is questionable, which means the bulk of the work this week against Texas A&M will be given to Daniel Hill and Trae'shawn Brown. And I expect there to be a lot of work to go around for that duo.
I expect Alabama to try to run the football early and often against Texas A&M based on Ryan Grubb's Monday comments about putting Keelon Russell in a better position to succeed. The Aggies' defense is ripe for the picking on the ground. Missouri racked up 247 yards on the ground earlier this season in a 27-6 win.
Alabama leaned on Hill heavily in the Week 2 win at Kentucky. The junior tallied 18 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown in the 45-17 win. Since then, he's only gotten double-digit carries once. His fumble issues against Mississippi State caused him to lose some trust, but he's still the physical between-the-tackles runner that Alabama needs.
He broke a 17-yard run last week against Tennessee despite the Tide's struggles up front, but he only got the ball seven times. I expect a bigger workload for him this week, and if he can be productive, it will go a long way toward Alabama finding success on offense.
2. Noah Rogers
I expect that to be different this week. Meadows was ineffective against the Vols, and Alabama desperately needs another receiver out there who can stress defenses. Maybe that's Rogers, or maybe that's freshman Cederian Morgan. In any case, it wasn't Meadows last week, and while he might have more trust from the coaching staff than the others, Alabama needs a playmaker out there.
I expect Rogers to play a lot - and perhaps even start - while making a big impact for the Crimson Tide for the first time.
3. Xavier Griffin
Freshman LB Xavier Griffin hasn't had as big a role defensively the last couple of weeks against bigger, more physical teams in Georgia and Tennessee. But against Texas A&M and with the severe threat of the QB run game with Marcel Reed, I expect Griffin to play a significant role this weekend.
Griffin made a big impact as a QB spy against both South Carolina and Mississippi State. Reed's threat as a runner, and his limitations as a passer, will be at the forefront of the Crimson Tide's defensive gameplan.
That should lead to opportunities for Griffin to make an impact on the game.
4. CB Zyan Gibson
This one is a big more of a long shot, but with Zabien Brown officially questionable for the game, there could be an opportunity for one of the freshmen corners - Zyan Gibson or Jorden Edmonds - to play a real role against Texas A&M.
I lean toward that guy being Gibson. He was listed on the two-deep last week as Brown's backup while Edmonds was not. That has everything to do with Edmonds missing so much time with an injury that forced a lot of missed practice time and valuable reps.
Gibson doesn't have the size that Dijon Lee and Carmelo O'Neal have, but that might be an advantage. He's got excellent speed, which should allow the Crimson Tide to play a bit more press-man coverage with him on the outside than the soft zones that Alabama has played too much of and gotten picked apart as a result.
If Brown is out, I expect Lee and O'Neal to start, but there will be a role for Gibson, and he could have the opportunity to carve out a role in the secondary.
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