One of the main areas of improvement Alabama needed out of Keelon Russell after the first couple of weeks had nothing to do with his ability once the ball was snapped. That talent, both with his arm and legs and his ability to manipulate the pocket, was obvious immediately.
But he needed to clean up the operation and in getting everybody set and ready pre-snap. That's an overlooked part of playing quarterback, and it's something that can really only come with added experience.
Russell has been much, much better pre-snap in the last two games. It's no coincidence that it's led to the offense's two most prolific games of the season against Florida State and South Carolina.
Heading into Saturday's matchup against the Gamecocks, one subtle move by Russell during the walkthrough that morning had Grubb feeling supremely confident in his offense's ability to light up the Bryant-Denny scoreboard.
"The Saturday walkthrough, I went crazy in a good way," Grubb said. "We were getting set. Keelon was motioning one of our tight ends, and one of our receivers moved his feet, and Keelon stopped everything, made sure everyone was set, snapped the ball with seven seconds left on the clock on a walkthrough before a game.
"I told the guys, 'We're gonna win by 50 guys.' We operate like that, and it's gonna be hard to stop these guys."
Keelon Russell's improvement with the pre-snap operation has sparked his Alabama breakout
Alabama didn't beat South Carolina by 50, but Grubb's pregame thoughts proved pretty prophetic. The Crimson Tide rolled up 49 points in a 31-point beatdown. After an opening drive three-and-out, Alabama scored touchdowns on its next four offensive possessions and built an insurmountable lead in the first half.
It's probably no surprise to Grubb that Russell had his most prolific individual performance, either. He finished with 400 yards of offense and five total touchdowns in the win.
He's getting more comfortable with each passing week. Alabama allowing Russell to work out the kinks in the first few weeks of the season against competition it felt it had a clear advantage in is going to pay dividends as the schedule toughens, starting this week in Starkville against No. 16 Mississippi State.
These last two home games have allowed Russell to clean things up operationally, and this weekend in Starkville against 60,000+ ringing cowbells will be a critical test for the young QB to see if he can take what he's learned on the road in a raucous environment.
With Kamario Taylor leading a prolific Mississippi State offense, it's certainly possible that Alabama is going to need Russell to win a shootout. That means he's going to have to be at his best. That means taking care of the football and avoiding the turnovers that can be back-breaking in a close game on the road.
If he has another three-turnover game as he did at Kentucky, then Alabama's path to a win gets really murky. But if he can take care of the football, lead Alabama to a smooth and clean operation up front, and be the dynamic playmaker we've seen all season, then the Crimson Tide will be tough to beat this weekend, and every weekend the rest of the year.
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