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Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Kevin Riley (28) avoids a tackle by Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Omillio Agard (6) during the second quarter at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images David Leong-Imagn Images

Where Alabama's Offense Needs to Find Better Consistency

Originally posted on Alabama Crimson Tide on SI
By Joe Gaither | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 5:03 PM ET

No. 19 Alabama continued its efforts to get right on Saturday, by defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 38-14 to improve its record to 2-1 as the program enters its first bye week of the season. The Crimson Tide's high powered offense left the bitter taste of defeat in the dust by scoring 111 points in the last two weeks.

The offense looks unstoppable, mustering 1,037 yards across the two weeks of action, but there's still a major area of concern for the unit with the daunting schedule ahead.

Alabama's offense struggled on the ground against Wisconsin. The Crimson Tide gave its running backs 15 carries and churned a measly 45 yards in the process. The offense gave its offense eight carries for just 20 yards in the first half and had to turn to wide receiver Germie Bernard on a fourth-and-two from the goal line to score the Crimson Tide's only rushing touchdown of the day.

BOOM @oti_germie

: ABC pic.twitter.com/zlMuVC2nft
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 13, 2025

"There's certainly an area where we can improve in the running game, and we have to," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said after the win. "It's execution, that's where it starts. The ability to be physical exists and we just got to continue to work on it. I know the guys want to do it, but that's definitely an area where I can see us continuing to emphasize.

What was the execution? Were we not technically sound on doing our job? When you rattle it off like you just did with the numbers, it certainly leads me to believe that there is a lot more potential. The pass opens up the run, run opens up the pass, so I think early on in the game we had a commitment to the running and that opened up the play action."

Running the football consistently has been an issue for Alabama through the early part of the schedule, as they managed 19 running back carries for 67 yards in the loss to Florida State in the opener.

DeBoer blamed a lack of explosive plays as the reason the team went away from handing the football off in the opener. Despite responding to the Florida State loss with two resounding wins, the explosive rushing plays still haven't been there for Alabama, as freshman AK Dear's 56-yard touchdown run against ULM stands alone in 2025.

"There needs to be a better consistency," DeBoer said after the Florida State loss. "We didn't have any explosives like we need to have. It's hard to put drives together when you don't have chunk yardage plays. They hit their explosives at times, the reverses and things like that, the ball down the field on the first drive. We had some explosives too but most of them were in the air."

Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson's led the offense effectively in the last two weeks, completing 41-of-46 passes for 608 yards and lighting up the scoreboard with seven touchdowns. The competition only gets tougher ahead, and while Simpson looks to have settled in under center, the Alabama offense needs to find its running game as the program enters SEC play.