Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from Monday and Tuesday, October 6th and 7th:
Ryan Grubb vents frustration over Alabama's lack of success in the red zone
It was hard for Alabama fans to be too upset with Saturday's 30-14 win over Vanderbilt, but offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb did not sound like a coach coming off a two-score win over the No. 16 team in the country.
Grubb was frustrated with Alabama's execution - or lack thereof - in the red zone. The defense got stop after stop in the second half, which gave the Crimson Tide's offense plenty of opportunities to put the game out of reach. They struggled to get it done.
Had the defense been struggling, then Saturday could have been a different story.
"I thought our red zone execution was poor," Grubb told reporters on Monday. "For us, we've still got to understand we can't press in those moments. The previous two weeks, we'd done a good job in the red zone. To see us take a step back was discouraging."
Kane Wommack wants Alabama's defense to start faster
Kane Wommack has endured a lot of criticism since becoming Alabama's defensive coordinator. That's the price you pay at a program accustomed to dominant defenses. Alabama's defense was nowhere close to dominant in the season opener against Florida State, and struggled at times against Georgia, though it buckled down in the second half against the Bulldogs.
It followed a similar script against Vanderbilt. After getting gashed early, the defense settled in and kept the Commodores off the scoreboard in the second half. Wommack earned his comp car this week, but knows that moving forward, his defense has to play better from the jump.
"We have got to start the game faster on a more consistent level," Wommack told reporters on Monday. "When you play in the SEC, you can't let teams take the momentum early."
SP+ predicts Missouri to beat Alabama
Bill Connelly's SP+ system predicted Missouri to upset Alabama this weekend in Columbia. In terms of upsets, it would be a mild one, contrary to what some Alabama fans may want to believe. The Tigers are legit, and the Crimson Tide is only favored by 3.5 points for a reason. This game is effectively a coin flip.
The biggest edge for Alabama is that the Tide is much more battle-tested than its counterparts. Through five games each, Alabama has faced the 3rd toughest schedule in the country; Missouri has faced the 109th.
Ryan Williams discusses his issues with drops
At the conclusion of Tuesday's practice, Alabama star sophomore WR Ryan Williams was one of the players made available to the media. He was, predictably, asked about his issues with dropping the football. It's been a problem, one that has overshadowed the bevy of unbelievable plays he's made.
Williams is tied for the nation's lead with six dropped passes. He's dropped at least one in every game, including three in the season opener against Florida State. Williams believes the issues are all mental, though anyone who has spent any time around the game of football can tell you that part of the issue is his penchant for catching with his body instead of his hands.
"Just trying to do what’s best for the team, because every ball that goes in the air, of course, I’m gonna try to make that play for my quarterback, for my teammates," Williams said. "So really just focusing on being in the moment and really just trying to focus on the ball instead of what my next move is.”
Nate Oats hypes up Alabama freshman Amari Allen
Nate Oats believes Alabama has struck gold with another freshman, much like they did a year ago with Labaron Philon.
Amari Allen was the No. 102-ranked player in the country in the composite rankings, but he's a guy who is going to carve out an immediate role on this team. With the injury to Jalil Bethea, and the Tide hoping to bring Latrell Wrightsell along slowly as he recovers from last season's torn Achilles, don't be surprised if Allen is in the starting lineup.
Allen has been a revelation in practice.
“I think the guy that maybe has stood out, maybe as a surprise based on where he was ranked and where he’s gonna end up playing would be a guy like Amari Allen," Oats told reporters on Monday. “I don’t pay that close attention to the rankings, but I will say he’s gonna be a lot better than what he was ranked. Like how Labaron was a lot better than he was ranked coming out of high school.”