It's hard to find much fault in Alabama's 38-14 win over Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon. The offense racked up 454 yards of offense. Wisconsin mustered just 208 total yards. The defense allowed only one touchdown, with Wisconsin finding the endzone for the first time on a kickoff return.
Ty Simpson looked sharp. Ryan Williams broke out like everyone was waiting for. Alabama beat a solid team, with the outcome never much in doubt.
But Alabama's biggest offensive weakness through the season's first three weeks remained an issue against Wisconsin. The Tide continues to struggle to move the football on the ground.
Alabama came into the game ranked No. 111 in the country in rushing success rate. That number won't improve after managing just 72 yards on 22 carries on Saturday. The Tide's leading rusher? Simpson, with 25 yards on six carries, the majority of which came on scrambles.
Kevin Riley earned his second consecutive start, turning seven rushes into 20 yards. He added 28 yards on three receptions. Richard Young carried four times for three yards. Louisiana transfer Dre Washington got a couple of chances, gaining 13 yards on two rushes. True freshman AK Dear carried twice for nine yards during garbage time. He broke another explosive run, but it was unfortunately called back for an illegal formation.
Ryan Grubb abandoned the run for long stretches again, just like he did against Florida State two weeks ago. This time, it was a bit harder to blame him thanks to how well Simpson played. The redshirt junior torched Wisconsin for 382 yards through the air on 24-of-29 passing and four touchdowns. His day would have been even more prolific if it weren't for drops by Ryan Williams and Lotzeir Brooks.
Jam Miller's return will help, but Alabama will need more than that to get the run game going
It was a strange day for the Alabama offensive line. They kept Ty Simpson mostly clean, allowing one sack where Simpson did himself no favors by turning his back to the line of scrimmage. For the most part, they had a strong performance in pass protection. But they continue to struggle to get a push up front on the ground.
Kalen DeBoer continues to shuffle the deck on the offensive line. There was more shuffling this week than previously. It was the same starting five: (R-L) Kadyn Proctor, Kam Dewberry, Parker Brailsford, Geno VanDeMark, and Wilkin Formby.
But freshman Michael Carroll got into the game early at RT. Jaeden Roberts started the second half at RG as they continue to ease him back into the lineup. At one point, VanDeMark shifted over to LG, sending Dewberry to the bench.
The offensive line remains unsettled, which is something that needs to get ironed out over the bye week before the trip to Athens to face Georgia. The Bulldogs are too good defensively for Alabama to survive with zero balance, no matter how prolific the passing attack has looked the last two weeks.
Alabama should get Jam Miller back against the Bulldogs, but he'll need help from the guys in front of him, or he won't be enough to change the fortunes.