Another college football Saturday, another day filled with great games, great energy, and another great win for Alabama--This time in an old fashioned beat down against a great Wisconsin team on the road. Camp Randall Stadium is not to be taken lightly, however the Badgers lost their starting QB, Tyler VanDyke, early on in the matchup. Alabama would take care of business behind Jalen Milroe serving another great performance, along with 17 year-old WR phenom, Ryan "Hollywood" Williams.
The defense for the Crimson Tide came alive as Alabama was able to pop two fumbles from Wisconsin, which would lead to points. Along with that, Kane Wommack's defense was consistently bringing pressure, as the linebackers and defensive line brought the good stuff this week.
So, whats next for Alabama? For starters, a much needed BYE week to allow players to get healthy and prepare for #1 ranked Georgia. Unfortunately, pre-season All-American Safety, Malachi Moore, went out with an injury (concussion), linebacker Qua Russaw was helped off with a lower extremity injury, as well as running back Richard Young with a lower extremity injury. To be able to compete with the #1 team in the country, you would logically (and obviously) need your team to be as healthy as possible. So, lets be transparent here. I think a lot of teams are taking a step back this year, incuding Alabama and Georgia. However, college football doesn't stop for anybody, including two of the most prominent teams in all of college football. Take the two weeks, get healthy, prepare for one of, if not the biggest regular season game of the season. Per Malachi Moore mother, Chi is okay.
Secondly, let's talk about another elephant in the room; the super young room of defensive backs. Hey, we get it, you can't help people being young and can only take so many real snaps in 3 weeks of college football. Alabama has true freshman Zabien Brown at cornerback, Jaylen Mbakwe at cornerback, and safety Red Morgan ALL getting reps and playing with the 1st-team. One of the biggest things we have all seen so far, is growing pains, because if any of the teams Alabama has played so far had a true threat quarterback, these games would be even closer than shown. How do you get better and prep for a team like Georgia in that case? You do what you can. As mentioned before, there are only so many practice and in game reps you can take. We, as fans and media, have so set the right expectation that there will be busted coverages, penalties, and very tough growing pains.
Another good reason that a BYE week can be beneficial, is something as simple as being able to prep for a team for an extra week. Carson Beck and Georgia are no joke--As much as I joke on Twitter/X, tease with my friends, Kirby Smart is one of, if not the best coach in the country. Any time Alabama plays a team like Georgia, you typically get a hardcore game, and I think on September 28th in Tuscaloosa, we get just that. Smart and company produce NFL talent as much as anybody in the country, and even better. The kryptonite for the Bulldogs comes in the form of the Alabama Crimson Tide though. Anytime you can get an extra week to watch film, get reps, talk to teams who have recently played your next opponent, you do it.
Last but not least, clean up the penalties. Anytime you commit "x" amount of penalties, you shoot yourself in the foot, and enable the other team to essentially take advantage of your own mistakes. The Tide did much better this week, however, we all know the Bama standard is set higher than most and could always use work.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Alabama this season is 'How good can Jalen Milroe be'? I believe as good as you enable him to be. Against a front like Georgia, I bet we see the Tide run some 12 personnel with a designed run for one of the best athletes in all of college football (Milroe). I also expect the offensive line start to get a hang of things, gain some trust in each other, and use the ground game to send the Dawgs back to the pound.
Ticket prices for this upcoming matchup against Georgia are north of $1000, even for nosebleed seats. Alabama fans can relax next weekend and watch more college football without the pressures of having to perform a week before Georgia. We will see if Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and company can continue the winning culture of beating Kirby Smart and the Dawgs in his first personal matchup against UGA, ever.