We are halfway through the regular season for Alabama football. The Crimson Tide are now 3-0 in SEC play and 5-1 overall after overcoming much of the anxiety that followed a Week 2 setback to Texas and a difficult road performance at South Florida.
UA will host Arkansas on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in the first of three straight home games for the Tide as they go into the second half of the season. Here’s a look at what the 2023 Alabama team has looked like thus far and what it might end up becoming as Nick Saban’s team gets ready for that game.
What went well?
The Crimson Tide’s defense has served as its mainstay. Generally, the club has been able to get the stops it needs to win games, even when it is at its messiest and most unproductive on the opposite side of the ball.
Chris Braswell and Dallas Turner pressure the quarterback at a very high level up front. Deontae Lawson is the leader and best player on the linebacking team, making up a strong core.
While the Tide have occasionally made mistakes in the secondary, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold have excelled together at the corner. Caleb Downs has improved at safety throughout the last two games, recording an interception in both.
Since the beginning of SEC play, Jalen Milroe has become a reliable quarterback on offense. After having a career-high day against Texas A&M, he has appeared to be much more at ease, frequently leading Alabama’s top rushing assault.
He’s had good receiver play as well. Particularly Isaiah Bond and Jermaine Burton have demonstrated their capacity to pose a serious threat.
What is incorrect?
Thus far, the offensive line has had significant challenges. If it’s not having trouble blocking or even returning the snap to Milroe appropriately, it’s experiencing issues with false start penalties.
Additionally, the offensive has been incredibly erratic overall. This season, Alabama has had far too many touchdowns called back due to penalties, and it frequently seems like a good play will be followed by a bad one.
For the entire team, there has been a general lack of effort. Missed tackles, poorly timed penalties, dropped passes, or a botched snap could be a big problem for the Tide moving forward.
As the SEC season progresses, Saban has acknowledged that it needs to be rectifiedHe declared, “I think the whole team needs to grow every week,” prior to Texas A&M’s match. “I believe there are a ton of things we can do better. Through practice, games, or any other activity, there are a lot of things we can do to eliminate some of our negative habits that have proven to be rather expensive. These include learning to be meticulous, feeling urgency, and practicing these skills.
In what situation is the best case?
The highest aspirations remain attainable for the Crimson Tide, just like they have for almost every season under Nick Saban’s leadership. Since Alabama is presently leading the SEC West, it is definitely possible to win the division in its last season.
The Crimson Tide will win the SEC if they accomplish it and get past Georgia, most certainly. There’s a national title if it manages to win two more games.
In what situation is the worst case?
Alabama may have a messy 2023 if its numerous issues ever catch up to it. Not in the sense that most teams would think unattractive, but certainly not by Saban’s Crimson Tide standards.
All of the games are winnable, but there are also quite a few that the Tide may lose. It wouldn’t surprise many people if LSU and Tennessee both defeated Alabama in the previous season; the SEC is that unpredictable this year.
Kentucky has also looked impressive this season, even if they lost handily to Georgia on Saturday. In Lexington, Mark Stoops has assembled a team that has the potential to exploit Alabama’s vulnerabilities.
Alabama might be looking at a three-loss season and a lower bowl than it has grown accustomed to playing in if everything goes wrong.
