Answering our questions from Alabama’s win over Wisconsin

Touchdown Alabama came up with five key questions heading into Alabama’s Week 3 matchup against Wisconsin. The Crimson Tide answered those in a dominating 38-14 win over the Badgers. 

Here’s a look back at how Alabama responded to last week’s points of emphasis. 

Question: How much will Alabama use its injured starters? 

Answer: Ryan Williams (concussion) returned on a high note, but Alabama kept Tim Keenan III (ankle) and Jam Miller (collarbone) on the bench for another week as they continue to recover from their respective injuries. 

After sitting out the Week 2 matchup against Louisiana-Monroe, Williams put together one of his best performances to date over the weekend. The sophomore gashed Wisconsin’s secondary for a team-high 165 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions. He should have added another score to that total but dropped a 14-yard strike from Ty Simpson in the end zone. 

Keenan and Miller were both ruled out against Wisconsin prior to the game on Saturday. The duo is expected to return in time for Alabama’s SEC opener at Georgia on Sept. 27 following an open date on the schedule this weekend. 

Question: Is there a battle at right tackle? 

Answer: Wilkin Formby once again earned the start and was Alabama’s primary first-team right tackle against Wisconsin. However, Michael Carroll continued to earn first-team reps off the bench. 

Carroll, a true freshman, broke into the first-team unit early in the second quarter during Alabama’s third possession. His first offensive snap came on Simpson’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard. 

Carroll continued at the right tackle position on Alabama’s fourth possession, as the Tide drove 98 yards for a touchdown on eight plays. He was also the first-team right tackle when the Tide opened up the second half on a double-reverse pass that saw Simpson connect with Williams for a 75-yard score. From there, Formby returned to the right tackle spot for Alabama’s sixth offensive possession, as the Tide drove 87 yards on seven plays for a touchdown. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Formby took part in 37 offensive snaps while Carroll saw the field for 18. Formby allowed two quarterback pressures over 26 pass-blocking snaps, while Carroll allowed one pressure over 11 opportunities as a pass blocker. 

At the moment, the battle between the two offensive linemen appears close. It will be interesting to see if Carroll can continue to narrow the gap for playing time over the next two weeks.

Question: Can Alabama get to the quarterback? 

Answer: Yes. Finally. After failing to record a sack over its first two games, Alabama recorded four against Wisconsin, as LT Overton, London Simmons, Qua Russaw and Yhonzae Pierre all got in on the action. According to PFF, Alabama recorded 18 total pressures. Pierre led the way with five, followed by Overton with three. 

“That’s great to see,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said of his team’s pass rush after the game. “We may send some pressure at times, but there were some sacks where our guys just won their one-on-ones and continue to work off each other. There’s a couple times where the quarterback made passes, there’s gonna be times where there’s a lane that opens up. They got good football players, too. But for the most part, I thought we were there. And it was the next guy, running to the ball carrier, running to the quarterback. And so just continue to harass them over and over and over. Just being present. So I love the effort that the guys gave.”

Question: Can Alabama maintain intensity? 

Answer: Alabama didn’t let its foot off the gas following its 73-0 rout of ULM in Week 2. After stumbling on its first offensive possession over the weekend, the Tide ripped off five straight touchdown drives. Meanwhile, Alabama’s defense shut out Wisconsin in the first half and ended up limiting the Badgers to just one offensive touchdown compared to two turnovers. 

“I think we understand what we’re capable of doing. And there’s just, I think, there’s those older guys that have stepped up in their leadership role. And there’s younger guys that got a feel of it in that first game and understood that it doesn’t just happen by itself. You gotta make it happen. You gotta go will it to happen. You don’t just will it to happen on Saturdays. You gotta will it to happen during the course of the week. And so Tuesday morning, you gotta show up and you gotta do your job. And I just keep asking the guys, when that alarm clock goes off, we’re popping up out of bed and we got a purpose, and that’s to go practice today, to go play. And we just gotta keep that urgency that I feel like our guys have right now.”

Question: Will penalties persist? 

Answer: Yes. Alabama was flagged seven times for 47 yards, including a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following Williams’ opening touchdown of the third quarter, as Alex Rozier was called for contacting the official.

The mistake drew a furious response from DeBoer while costing the Tide 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff. Things went from bad to worse, as Wisconsin’s Vinny Anthony II returned ball 95 yards for the Badgers’ first score of the day. 

“It’s nonsense,” DeBoer said after the game. “We gave them a touchdown, really. … I love the energy on the sideline, and I love the excitement. But we gotta run off the field, right? We just gotta take care of those things, because those are things that can kill you in a tight game.”