No. 4 Alabama visits Wisconsin for the first time in nearly a century on Saturday sporting a 2-0 record, but the Crimson Tide are still chasing a performance closer to flawless.
Alabama put up 21 points in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter to fight off South Florida last week, recording a 42-16 win in a game it led 14-13 in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide lost three fumbles in the second half, one from quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Milroe enters his third game under DeBoer showing positives to build on in coach Kalen DeBoer’s assessment.
“I think about some touchdown throws that he’s made,” DeBoer said Monday. “Stepping up in the pocket. Those are things I’ve seen where he’s really improved. He’s had a scramble to (tight end CJ) Dippre where he hit him along the sideline … he went to the right hit (wide receiver Germie Bernard) on a scramble.
“So I think eyes down the field, and playing that game that he can play because people worry about his legs where he can run and take off or he can draw the attention to him and throw it, I think that’s been great. When we give him looks where he can make decisions, there’s a lot of time 2-3 choices he can make … I think he’s getting better with every rep we share with him. Always learning. It’s good to grind out a win in the fourth quarter. Just something along those lines.”
DeBoer said his players are looking forward to the challenge ahead at Wisconsin (2-0), which he described as a “great environment.”
“When you are preparing to go play those games, that hostile environment, taking it on and knowing its kind of you versus everyone there. Our guys are looking forward to the challenge,” DeBoer said.
After forcing eight three-and-outs against South Florida with zero explosive pass plays allowed, Alabama wasn’t satisfied.
“Probably the most disappointing thing is we had a number of explosive runs that were given up,” Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. “Extremely disappointed in the lack of takeaways. We were minus-3 in the turnover margin which is absolutely unacceptable by our defense. It has to be something that we focus on day in and day out. It’s what we preach. It’s who we are. It’s what we believe in.”
Wommack counted two plays when South Florida had open receivers down the field but missed chances he expects Wisconsin to hit. Wommack said Wisconsin has improved running the ball and impressive skill position players who can win one-on-one matchups.
Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson, who had 10 tackles vs. USF, was ejected for targeting and must sit out the first half. He was flagged and tossed after a hit on USF quarterback Byrum Brown for leading with his helmet.
“It’s always disappointing when you have a dynamic player who is not available for one half of the game,” Wommack said. “I’ve looked at (the play) from about every angle I could. I think we’ve told the young man to just keep playing. It is what it is. We’ll deal with it.”
Jefferson also plays special teams and DeBoer said “he’s an important part of what we do.”
–Field Level Media
