After a rough past few weeks for the Crimson Tide, it was a relief for Alabama fans to see the team have a dominant SEC win, defeating the Missouri Tigers 34-0.
Plenty of things were improved from the past few weeks for the Crimson Tide. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly in the team’s win over Missouri.
The good
Jalen Milroe bounced back. The quarterback completed 16 of 26 passes for 215 yards and added 50 yards with a touchdown on the ground. It was a much-needed performance for Milroe as he recaptured some of his success from early in the season after he had struggled in the past three games, with six total turnovers.
It was Milroe’s first SEC game this season without a turnover and the first time he eclipsed 50 yards rushing since the Georgia game. Milroe also made some big plays, as he was responsible for eight plays of 15 or more yards.
Graham Nicholson converted both his field goal attempts. It hadn’t been a great season so far for the kicker, as he had only converted two of his four field goal attempts going into Saturday’s game. But Nicholson had his best game of the year, hitting field goal tries from 47 and 39 yards.
The 47-yarder was the first from 40 or more this year for Nicholson, who is looking to recapture the success of his 2023 Lou Groza Award-winning campaign.
The defense shut out the Missouri offense. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s “Swarm” defense was in full effect. The defense especially limited the passing game, as Missouri quarterbacks Brady Cook and Drew Pyne combined for only 72 yards passing and no touchdowns, and neither completed a pass of more than 15 yards.
Pyne in particular was pounced on by the Crimson Tide defense, as three of his 12 passes were intercepted, by safeties Malachi Moore and Bray Hubbard and linebacker Qua Russaw, respectively.
“There’s some good vibes when it comes to taking the football away defensively,” head coach Kalen Deboer said. “They’re hunting [the football].”
The running game finally came alive. The team had 271 yards on the ground, which is by far the most it has had in SEC play, with the second-most being 174 yards against Georgia.
Running backs Justice Haynes and Jam Miller combined for 19 carries for 127 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Haynes, in particular, had a highlight-reel play as he trucked a Missouri defender en route to a 35-yard touchdown run.
“They were truly a two-headed monster,” Milroe said.
Backup Richard Young also got in on the action, bursting for a 62-yard run late in the fourth quarter to put a bow on the team’s impressive rushing attack.
The fourth-down stop to preserve the shutout. After Missouri finally put a drive together late in the fourth quarter and had a first and goal at the Alabama 7-yard line, the Crimson Tide defense anchored down and stopped the Missouri offense four straight times, including a fourth-down stop at the 1-yard line.
“We wanted to finish the game off on the right foot,” Moore said. “For us to come back in the game and get a big fourth-and-goal stop on the 1, that’s a big-time [play].”
The bad
Milroe’s blindside wasn’t protected. On multiple occasions, the Alabama offensive line allowed Missouri defensive end Johnny Walker to hit Milroe from behind for a sack. The quarterback held on to the football both times.
Sacks from the blindside are especially brutal to allow, as they give the defender a bigger hit on the quarterback and more opportunity to force a fumble. With the team going deeper into the season, it’s important to keep Milroe from taking big hits and risking injury.
Milroe and Ryan Williams were unable to connect at times. Even though the wide receiver finished with a respectable four catches for 53 yards, that total could’ve been added to, as Williams had a team-high eight targets.
It appeared to be a mixture of inaccuracy and miscommunication. There was a particular moment when Milroe had a post-drive discussion with Williams after a second-down incompletion. Williams seemed to have not run the route Milroe wanted, which led to the receiver taking a big hit and dropping the ball.
It isn’t a major cause of concern yet, but it will be notable to see if the duo can use the upcoming bye week to get back on track.
The ugly
Alabama’s third-down offense struggled heavily. The one major flaw in Alabama’s performance against Missouri was the offense’s inability to convert on third down, failing to convert on its first seven attempts.
It took until the fourth quarter for Alabama to finally convert, with Milroe converting to Williams for a 26-yard gain. The offense finished 2/9 on third down, with the second coming late in the fourth quarter when the backups were in.
When there’s more good than bad and ugly, it usually yields a result like Alabama’s 34-0 win over Missouri. The Crimson Tide will look to carry the momentum into the bye week before the team heads to Death Valley for a big matchup against LSU.
