🏈 GAME THREAD Mercer week reports

[Alabama17Tide]

By Tony Tsoukalas

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After getting the day off Monday, Alabama players worked outside Tuesday in their first practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against Mercer. Players wore full pads in sunny, 65-degree weather for the workout.

Here are a few notes from the media viewing period:

— Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) was not present at practice. Monday, Alabama head coach said the junior defensive back would be “day-to-day” this week.

— Ross Pierschbacher (high-ankle sprain) was seen riding a scooter before practice. Saban said the offensive lineman would miss this week’s game against Mercer and would be a “medical decision” next week against Auburn.

— Shaun Dion Hamilton might have suffered a season-ending injury when he broke his kneecap against LSU, but that didn’t stop the senior from showing up at practice. Hamilton was seen talking to defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and also instructing the rest of the linebackers during drills.

— J.C. Hassenauer was in Pierschbacher’s normal position of left guard. Alabama’s first-team offensive line was Jonah Williams, Hassenauer, Bradley Bozeman, Lester Cotton and Matt Womack from left to right. The second-team unit consisted of Alex Leatherwood, Joshua Casher, Chris Owens, Richie Petitbon and Jedrick Wills.

— Rashaan Evans led Alabama’s inside linebackers and was followed by Dylan Moses, Keith Holcombe, Markail Benton, and Joshua McMillon.

— Alabama’s defense practiced out of the nickel formation. Anthony Averett and Levi Wallace were the cornerbacks while Tony Brown filled in for Fitzpatrick at Star. Hootie Jones and Ronnie Harrison were the two safeties. Evans was at one linebacker position, while Moses was shadowed by Holcombe at the other spot.

— There were three exercise bikes present during the viewing period.

Tuesday practice report (Mercer week) | BamaInsider.com

 

[Tidestalker]

What the heck happened to big Deionte Brown?! At one point he was pushing for a starting spot.

JC Hass must have won the staff over with super responsible play. He's about the smallest of all our guard options. But hey if he gets the job done, particularly in pass pro, ,that would be great.

Hopefully a few guys get some snaps this weekend as I'm sure there will be more attrition. Need the tackles to step up and play better... Great D Ends coming their way.

RTR

 

[Alabama17Tide]

By Tony Tsoukalas

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama worked outside Wednesday as it took part in its second practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against Mercer. Players were dressed in full pads in cloudy, 61-degree weather for the workout.

Here are a few notes from the media viewing period of practice:

— Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) was not seen during the media viewing period but was spotted entering Alabama’s indoor practice facility wearing a black jersey before the period started. He was not present during Tuesday’s viewing period, making it somewhat doubtful he’ll play much this weekend.

— Injured offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher (high-ankle sprain) was also absent from the viewing period for a second straight day. J.C. Hassenauer took his spot at left guard on Alabama’s first-team offensive line.

— Fan favorite Ben Davis was seen working with Anfernee Jennings in the first grouping of outside linebackers during individual drills. Jamey Mosley and Christopher Allen were in the second grouping. However, when Alabama changed drills Jennings led the group and was followed by Mosley, Mekhi Brown, Allen and then Davis.

— Dylan Moses seems to be the preferred linebacker next to Rashaan Evans during team drills. He was shadowed by Keith Holcombe in both the nickel and dime packages.

— In the nickel package, Levi Wallace and Anthony Averett were the two corners, while Hootie Jones and Ronnie Harrison were the two safeties. Tony Brown was in Fitzpatrick’s spot at Star. As noted above, Evans and Moses were the two linebackers.

— In the dime package, Wallace and Averett stayed at cornerback, while Harrison stayed at his spot at free safety. Jones moved down to the Money role, while Deionte Thompson took his spot at strong safety. Tony Brown stayed at Star and Moses was shadowed by Holcombe at the lone linebacker position.

— Alabama’s second-unit in the dime package consisted of Trevon Diggs and Jared Mayden at cornerback with Deionte Thompson and Xavier McKinney at safety. Daniel Wright was shadowed by Keaton Anderson at Money, while Shyheim Carter played Star. Joshua McMillon was shadowed by Holcombe at the lone linebacker position.

— Diggs made a really nice catch over Tony Brown during individual drills. It’s easy to forget he was a receiver last year.

— Markail Benton was wearing a No. 2 representing Mercer linebacker Lee Bennet who has 102 tackles this season. That would rank 11th among FBS schools.

— There was one exercise bike present during practice.

Wednesday practice report (Mercer week) | BamaInsider.com

 

[Alabama17Tide]

Five questions heading into Alabama vs. Mercer

Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley makes a catch against Mississippi State on Saturday. Photo | Getty Images

Tony Tsoukalas • BamaInsider.com
@Tony_Tsoukalas

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama players received an extra day off from practice Monday, a nice reward following their 31-24 victory over Mississippi State over the weekend. The added day of rest should help the Crimson Tide catch its breath and lick its wounds following what has been a bruising couple of weeks, so should this week’s matchup against FCS opponent Mercer.

Make no mistake, no one on No. 1 Alabama’s roster is taking the Bears for granted, especially after Mercer stuck with No. 6 Auburn in a 24-10 loss earlier this season. However, bigger tests await the Crimson Tide in the future, including an SEC West-deciding Iron Bowl next week.

For right now, we’ll stick with this week’s matchup as Alabama hosts Mercer at 11 a.m. CT on SEC Network for its final game in Bryant-Denny Stadium this season.

Here are five questions to consider heading into the matchup:

Can Holcombe bounce back?

Aeris Williams #22 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs dives in for the touchdown as Keith Holcombe (42) and Rashaan Evans ( lower right) of the Alabama Crimson Tide try to tackle him. Photo | Getty Images

The loss of injured linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton could be felt with every bruising run from Mississippi State. Hamilton suffered a season-ending broken kneecap against LSU leaving backup Keith Holcombe to fill his role at Mike linebacker. The loss of the veteran was evident Saturday night as the Crimson Tide gave up 172 yards on the ground, the most it has allowed all season.

Holcombe struggled against Mississippi State failing to wrap up opposing rushers while seeming a step behind on several plays. Despite the slow start, the redshirt junior’s teammates still have plenty of faith that he’ll be up for the challenge moving forward.

"Me and Keith, I feel like we're starting to get a chance to just gel now,” fellow middle linebacker Rashaan Evans said. “I feel like this game was probably the most important for us to just play with each other, learn each other, the different calls we make, how we fit gaps. Kind of like the chemistry had with Shaun Dion. We kind of knew each other, how we kind of fed off each other. And with the fact that he's gone now, me and Keith can really just focus on me and him."

Should Alabama be concerned about stopping the run?

Mississippi State running backer Aeris Williams (22) carries the ball against Alabama on Saturday. Photo | Getty Images

Not only were the 172 yards Alabama allowed on the ground a season high, they also marked the second straight game that the Crimson Tide has given up 150 rushing yards or more. Alabama also allowed 151 yards on the ground in a 24-10 victory over LSU.

However, that stat is a bit deceptive when you dig deeper. Against LSU, Alabama held the Tigers to just 3.6 yards per carry with a good chunk of the rushing yards coming on a defensive breakdown that allowed running back Darrel Williams to pick up 54 yards. Take out that play and LSU averaged just 2.37 yards per carry. Mississippi State didn’t average any better last week, picking up just 3.5 yards per attempt.

According to Alabama head coach Nick Saban, one of the reasons it seems like the defense is faring so poorly against the run is its inability to get off the field. Against LSU, Alabama allowed the Tigers to go 9 of 19 (47 percent) on third down. The Crimson Tide was even worse against Mississippi State as the Bulldogs converted 8 of 15 (53 percent) third-down tries

“I'll go back to it again, which nobody seems to have the same concern about, is when you have them 3rd and 10, you have them 3rd and 7, you have them 3rd and 8, you have them 3rd and 9, when you play teams that run the ball like that, you have to get off the field,” Saban said. “So don't give them a new set of downs to go run it again and again and again, and keep sort of, three, four and five yards. When you have teams that can create extra gaps because of quarterback runs, it's difficult.

“Could we have executed better and done better on some of those things? Absolutely. Did they have a good scheme and a good plan to run the ball, shrink the game, play slow? Yes they did... You can't give them extra possessions."

Will Alabama grow from its comeback performance last week?

Alabama head coach Nick Saban yells from the sideline against Mississippi State on Saturday. Photo | Getty Images

Coming so close to disaster might have been just what this team needed. Following last week’s nail-biter, several Alabama players said the win reminded them of last year’s national championship when they suffered a last-second defeat to Clemson.

The game against Mississippi State was the first time Alabama has had to truly play with its back against the wall this season. With future games against Auburn and possibly No. 7 Georgia in the SEC Championship, it might not be the last time the Crimson Tide has to fight for its life in the fourth quarter.

"I've been pleased with the way the guys have responded,” Saban said. “One of the things that we talked about before this last game was 'Can you thrive on hard? Knowing that you're going to be in difficult circumstances, you're going to have hard things happen whether it's in life or in a competitive sport. Are you going to respond the right way to that and look at that as an opportunity to thrive in the situation.' Everybody can give more, everybody can do more.

“But really we want you to execute and do your job in critical situations when your best is needed and obviously I was really proud of the way our team did that down the stretch in that particular game so that it gave them the best opportunity to be successful.”

How will Alabama get Jacobs the ball more?

Alabama running back Josh Jacobs carries the ball against Mississippi State on Saturday. Photo | Getty Images

Following Saturday night’s victory, Saban referred to sophomore running back Josh Jacobs as “a different cat.” That’s fitting, considering the 5-foot-10, 212-pound back’s cat-like agility carrying the ball.

Against Mississippi State, Jacobs tallied 36 yards and a touchdown on just six carries while also adding two catches for 18 yards. The sophomore did the bulk of his work when the Crimson Tide needed him most, picking up 31 yards on three carries in the fourth quarter.

Saban certainly noticed Jacobs’ impact and credited him as the “spark for the whole team” following the game. Now the challenge will be finding ways to get that “spark” earlier in the game. Don't be surprised if you see Jacobs getting more touches in the coming weeks.

“I think Josh is kind of an easy guy to create a role for because of his versatility as a player,” Saban said. “We certainly need to use him more now that he's healthy, and he certainly was healthy in that game and very explosive and probably changed the game a little bit for us with his energy and enthusiasm.

“He's always been a great competitor and we're going to continue to try to expand his role so he can be more productive for us. We're not displeased with anybody in terms of how they played at that position. But we would like to get him more involved in what we're doing.”

Can Hurts continue to will Alabama through tough moments?

Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts runs in a touchdown against Mississippi State on Saturday. Photo | Getty Images

Big moments are kind of Jalen Hurts’ thing, so much so that even times like last week’s game-winning drive against Mississippi State don’t come as a surprise.

“Jalen continues to show his poise, and to be honest with you, I kind of expect things like that,” said Evans who watched Hurts drive 68 yards in 44 seconds from the sidelines. “I mean he constantly does this in practice each and every day, so to be honest with you, I feel like for him in that game it was kind of like practice. Just going through that play constantly, constantly, over and over again, it was almost like second nature for him.”

As routine as Hurts might have made things look Saturday night, his performance was anything but. During the final drive, he completed 3 of 4 passes for 72 yards. While the 26-yard strike to freshman DeVonta Smith ended up being the game winner, Hurts' most pressure-packed throw came on a third-and-15 at the Alabama 43-yard line.

On that play, he read Mississippi State’s defense and instructed receiver Calvin Ridley to run a slant across the middle. Just as Hurts expected, Ridley was wide open for a 31-yard gain to set up the game winner a play later.

Hurts is no stranger to big moments. He provided the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of last year’s 10-0 win against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., and led what would have been a game-winning drive against Clemson in the national championship game. On both of those occasions, the dual-threat quarterback used his legs to get into the end zone. That just makes his heroics through the air against Mississippi even more encouraging.

BamaInsider.com - Five questions heading into Alabama vs. Mercer

 

[Alabama17Tide]

Is freshman Dylan Moses Alabama's answer at linebacker moving forward?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The future is now for Alabama at the linebacker position. At least that’s the way it has looked during practice this week.

Five-star freshman Dylan Moses was seen working with Alabama’s first-team unit in both the nickel and dime packages, taking the role of injured linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton who broke his kneecap against LSU two weeks ago.

“Dylan’s done a really good job for us. He’s got a little more opportunity now because of some of the injury situations that we had at linebacker,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday. “I think getting the additional reps in practice have really helped his confidence, and hopefully we’ll get to play him a little bit more and that’ll continue to develop because we don’t have a lot of depth at the position and he’s certainly a guy that certainly has the potential to be a really good player for us when he gets the knowledge and experience that he needs to go out there and play with confidence. And we have every confidence that we can put him in a position to do that.”

Redshirt junior Keith Holcombe got the start last week against Mississippi State. Despite finishing with six tackles, the veteran linebacker struggled at times and seemed to be a step behind defenders on several occasions. While Alabama’s struggles on defense can’t be completely attributed to Holcombe, his performance didn’t help on a night where the Crimson Tide surrendered a season-high 172 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Moses finished with just two tackles against the Bulldogs but could receive a bigger role moving forward. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound linebacker came to Alabama as the No. 32 player overall in the 2017 class. He has tallied nine total tackles including 1.5 sacks in limited action this season.

Whether or not Moses has shown enough during practice to earn the starting role in a game is yet to be determined. When asked what he’s looking for from his younger players during practice, Saban’s response was simple.

“What I’m looking for is guys that can play winning football,” Saban said. “What does that mean? You can go out there and do your job and you can do it on a consistent basis, whether it's playing your gap, cover your guy, drop to the right zone, break on the ball the right way, be a good tackler — play winning football at your position.”

Saban said he goes over mistakes with his players every week after grading film from the week before, providing an explanation for every missed play or assignment. From there, it’s up to which players are willing to correct their mistakes moving forward.

“When you get to the point where your name doesn’t come up on that list, then you’re playing winning football,” Saban said.

No. 1 Alabama (10-0, 7-0 in the SEC) will host FCS opponent Mercer (5-5) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT for the last game inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium this season. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

BamaInsider.com - Is freshman Dylan Moses Alabama's answer at linebacker moving forward?

 

[EasyTider]

 

[rick4bama]

:hurray::rtrsign:

 

[Destiny's Child]

Hilarious photoshop pf Saban with the jeans..loll I think we go ahead and play Dylan Moses. What we lose in experience we make up for in speed to recover and athletic ability. We need to generate a pash rush somehow even if that means putting evans on the outside and putting Holcombe at the other middle spot. Auburn runs outside the tackles and struggles to protect from the outside.

 

[Laura Goldman |]

Lauren Sisler and Kevin Scarbinsky make predictions for Alabama's week 12 matchup with Mercer, and discuss the Tide's approach this week with the Iron Bowl on the horizon.

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