Why the time has come for Alabama football to settle on a five-man OL | Goodbread
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It’s time to roll with five.
Alabama football’s offensive line has been problematic, and the coaching staff has responded with what has amounted to season-long rotations at three of the five positions up front: right tackle, and both guard spots. There have been a few examples of a single lineman playing from start to finish in a given game. But, for the most part, auditions have been ongoing since September. It’s been a bold experiment born of necessity, and there’s something to be said for what open competition can do from a motivational standpoint.
But with two games remaining in the Crimson Tide’s regular season, it’s time for coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to push five OL chips in the middle of the table, and play the hand. Ten games in, they know what they have. They know what they don’t. And if there was a perfect five-man combination to be found, it would’ve been found by now.
At 8-2, Alabama‘s postseason goals are riding on its performance against Eastern Illinois and Auburn. The Iron Bowl will be a road trip to noisy Jordan-Hare Stadium, where a visiting offensive line could benefit from the cohesion and communication of a single unit.
There’s no perfect answer. But it’s time to let five be imperfect together.
Quotable
“We had big holes that we just didn’t friggin hit, and it sucks, because the o-line worked their tails off.” – Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on two runs for no gain against Oklahoma.
Etc.
If Alabama LB Qua Russaw is medically cleared to play against Eastern Illinois, the UA coaching staff has an interesting decision to make. Give him an extra Saturday of rest ahead of Auburn, or give him a few snaps against EIU to shake the rust off. The first option is a pretty common one for coaches when a non-conference lightweight precedes a big game on the schedule, but there’s also something to be said for giving Russaw a chance to reacclimate to game speed in a low-stakes setting. … Does RB Daniel Hill extend his ascent as the Crimson Tide’s primary rusher? Perhaps not against EIU, given that substitutions should come early and often. But look for his emergence to continue at Auburn the following week.
Around the SEC
Of all the possible SEC Championship Game scenarios, Ole Miss’ outlook might be the bleakest. It would finish 7-1 in league play with a likely win over rival Mississippi State. But in addition, they need an Auburn upset of Alabama for the SEC’s tiebreakers to shine favorably on the Rebels. … None of the primary contenders for the SEC title game play an SEC game this week, but a couple CFP contenders are facing possible elimination from playoff consideration. Among them: Oklahoma (vs. Missouri) and Vanderbilt (vs. Kentucky).
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why the time has come for Alabama football to settle on starting OL
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