By james art
JOHN ZENOR Associated Press
Alabama looked Nick Saban-esque for the first 15 minutes against fellow Southeastern Conference power Georgia.
Since then, Callen DeBoer’s 15th Crimson Tide team has looked downright mortal, maybe even mediocre, during a sputtering streak that featured costly penalties, errant passes by quarterback Jalen Milrow and an all-too-often vulnerable defense.
The last blow was a 24-17 loss to No. 7 Tennessee. It leaves Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC) with multiple losses before November for the first time since Saban’s debut season in 2007 — and No. 21 Missouri (6-1, 2-1) on Saturday.
The mark is Alabama’s lowest since 2010, the only season in a 16-year span in which the Tide have lost all three times. Another loss would almost certainly eliminate DeBoer’s team from even the new 12-team playoff field.
“We have to have a hungry mindset,” Milroe told reporters after Saturday’s loss. “We want to get better, we want to move, we want to be the best version of ourselves, we want to be the best striker in the country. And many are still out there with the right mindset.”
Alabama has been outscored 123-92 since racing to a 28-0 lead over No. 2 Georgia. The Tide won that game 41-34 on a late 75-yard bomb to freshman Ryan Williams followed by an interception in the end zone by fellow freshman Zabien Brown.
That elevated Alabama to No. 1, if only briefly. A 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt followed.
“You can’t have the mistakes, you can’t have the penalties, you have to have a better performance,” De Boer said on Monday. “All those things that put you behind the eight during the game. Here in the SEC, there’s such a fine line between winning and losing, and that’s the way to get beat. It’s up to all of us.”
To make matters even more difficult, cornerback Keon Sabb is out with what DeBoer described as a “lower extremity injury.”
“We’re still gathering information here, but we expect him to be out for a while,” he said. “It could be a long time, and we’re just going to continue to evaluate it.”
A snapshot of the Tide’s woes.
- Alabama committed 15 penalties for 115 yards against Tennessee. The highlight was a 15-yard personal foul by Kendrick Law that forced the Tide into a fourth-and-22 situation in the final minutes. It didn’t work.
“Obviously at this point we’re struggling to try to find a way to win. This is a big moment,” DeBoer said. “We have to make sure that of course we address them. But we can’t keep having mistakes, especially the ones we can control.”
The Volunteers intercepted Milrow’s next and final pass after Alabama got the ball back.
- Milroe looked like a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate after the Georgia win. In the three games since then, he has three touchdown passes and five interceptions while gaining just 57 yards rushing after sacks.
- Alabama needed Domani Jackson’s goal-line interception to hold off South Carolina 27-25. The Gamecocks had a third-quarter touchdown when they converted all five third-down attempts.
- The Tide offense needs to get the ball to playmakers outside of Williams. He was targeted 18 times against Tennessee and had eight catches for 73 yards. Germy Bernard caught five passes for 72 yards on five targets. Law was the only other wide receiver credited with a target on a non-penalty play.
Neither tailback, Jamarion Miller or Justice Haynes, has rushed for more than 45 yards in an SEC game.
Alabama faces just one ranked team after the Missouri game, traveling to No. 8 LSU on Nov. 9.
“There’s still a lot of football left,” Milroe said.