Why Texas week is bad timing for Alabama football to be short in the secondary | Goodbread
Malachi Moore might not be available for Alabama football's highly anticipated home game against Texas Saturday. Jaylen Key might not be a go, either.
And those mights just might be a really big deal.
It's Quinn Ewers week for Alabama's defensive backs, after all, and in the DB room, they could be watching tape of the Texas quarterback's performance against the Crimson Tide in Austin last year with one eye closed. It was a shredding, albeit a short-lived one. Ewers threw for 134 yards in a quarter — and it would've been a big chunk more had a perfectly-thrown deep ball not been dropped — before a shoulder injury knocked him out of the contest.
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And with the rematch pending, it could be two of Alabama's starting defensive backs sitting out this time.
Neither Key nor Moore will suit up for practice on Monday, and UA coach Nick Saban deferred any definitive declarations on their playing status to later in the week. What Moore means to Alabama's pass defense can't be overstated. Along with cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, he's got more game experience in a UA uniform than anyone in the secondary. He's the most versatile player Alabama has on the back end of the defense, able to slide comfortably between the nickelback, safety and dimeback positions, if needed. Saban also recently described him as the best communicator in the secondary, and against an arm like that of Ewers, communication breakdowns can very easily result in touchdowns.
Key, a transfer safety from UAB who can play more than one position himself, came up with Alabama's only interception in its season-opening win against Middle Tennessee State. It's a little early to know what kind of impact can be expected of Key, but this is a guy who didn't even enroll until summer, yet grasped Saban's defensive concepts quickly enough to start against MTSU.
That says as much about his mental makeup as it does his physical skills. The absence of backup safety DeVonta Smith, also injured, complicates matters even more.
Potentially caught somewhat in the middle is true freshman safety Caleb Downs. While he's uber-talented, a matchup against Ewers for just his second college game would seem to be a bad time not to be flanked by the veteran presences of Moore and/or Key. If neither are able to play, Saturday will be an extra-fiery test for Downs.
Typically, injured players who are unable to practice by Wednesday of game week are highly unlikely to play. Perhaps Moore and Key will be ready to return by then, but if not, expect Ewers to test their replacements early and often on Saturday. The good news for the Crimson Tide is that, per Saban, neither Moore nor Key is facing a long-term absence.
But in the short-term, the Longhorns arrive in five days.
And with payback in mind.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23 and the Talkin' Tide podcast. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Goodbread: Why Texas week is bad timing for Alabama's DB injuries
