Written by Brad Crawford at 247Sports.com
Are injuries beginning to take a toll on the unbeaten and top-ranked Crimson Tide?
Alabama battled through Saturday’s 31-24 win at Mississippi State, the three-time defending SEC champions’ toughest game this season from a physicality and adversity standpoint.
While the Crimson Tide should be No. 1 in Tuesday’s third College Football Playoff rankings, there’s reason to worry, ESPN says. Here’s what senior writer Mark Schlabach said Monday about Alabama’s potential “fatal flaw” down the stretch:
The Crimson Tide are undefeated and lead the FBS in average scoring margin (plus-28.7 points per game), but their mounting injuries on defense seem to be taking a toll.
Shaun Dion Hamilton and Mack Wilson were lost to injuries in a 24-10 win over LSU on Nov. 4. Hamilton will miss the rest of the season with a fractured kneecap; Wilson is out four to six weeks with a foot injury. The Tide earlier lost Christian Miller (torn biceps) and Terrell Lewis (elbow) to season-ending injuries in a 24-7 win over Florida State in the opener.
Alabama really seems to be missing Hamilton, who made the defensive calls and was in charge of getting the front seven lined up correctly. Junior Keith Holcombe started at middle linebacker against Mississippi State, but freshman Dylan Moses replaced him in the second half of a 31-24 victory.
It wasn’t so much linebacker play that struggled against Mississippi State — thought Holcombe had obvious issues in the middle — as it was lack of interior defensive line production. The Bulldogs rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns — the most ground scores a Nick Saban-coached Tide team has given up — with much of that production coming via holes in the interior.
Alabama remains in control of its Playoff destiny, but Saturday night’s perceived slip in Starkville has made oddsmakers rethink the Iron Bowl’s betting line. There’s a chink in the Crimson Tide’s armor, most believe, and it’s up to Alabama to prove worry is premature.
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