Oregon transfer DT Terrance Green has had a strong season in the middle for Alabama. Unfortunately, he's been dealing with a nagging injury, and it knocked him out of the game last week vs. Georgia around halftime as the Crimson Tide fell short against the Bulldogs. He didn't return for the second half, and there was a clear difference in the Crimson Tide's run defense from when he was on the field vs. off.
Georgia's rushing stats by half:
1st half: 15 carries, 49 yards, 3.3 yards per carry
2nd half: 24 carries, 157 yards, 6.5 yards per carry
That's a noticeable difference from the time Green left the game.
Even Kane Wommack admitted, while stating you can't be too dependent on any one player, that Green's absence "certainly had an effect."
All eyes will be on Green's status this week going forward. Because Tennessee brings one of the nation's top rushing offenses into the game. They are averaging 208 yards per game on the ground, and with questionable quarterback play regardless of whether George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon starts, the Vols are going to be stubborn with pounding the rock with star RB DeSean Bishop.
Green's status is currently up in the air. Kalen DeBoer talked about him on Monday, but didn't provide specifics, and we probably won't know his status until Wednesday night when the first availability report of the week comes out.
"Just keep evaluating him. This is an injury that’s been going on for a couple weeks now," DeBoer said. "Just re-aggravated it, and it’s been limiting him in practice. And trying to get him to the game, he, I thought, made a great effort in trying to do that. Just, again, re-aggravated it.”
Alabama needs a healthy Terrance Green to slow down Tennessee's ground game
London Simmons and Kedrick Bingley-Jones played well enough against Georgia. A bigger issue for Wommack's defense against Georgia was poor run fits by the linebackers and safeties, which allowed a few explosive plays.
But Green is Alabama's best run defender on the defensive line. He has done a great job all year of not just occupying space, but getting off his block and making plays in the backfield. Alabama will need that against Tennessee.
Getting Justin Hill back for the edge would be a positive development this week, too, though that looks even more questionable than Green playing. Alabama's versatility with its defensive front has been severely impacted by Hill and Desmond Umeozulu being out. That has prevented Devan Thompkins from kicking inside as much and giving Alabama a more disruptive interior presence on passing downs.
The injuries have piled up on the defensive front. But that's football. It's life in the SEC. This time of the year, you're always going to deal with injuries, and you have to figure out how to work your way through them.
Hopefully Green will be available this week, but even if he's not, it's on Wommack to put his players in a position to succeed and avoid getting consistently gouged by Tennessee's ground game.
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