Freshman linebacker duo shines for Alabama in victory over Duke
ATLANTA — This was supposed to be a death blow for Alabama. It’s hard enough to replace a Butkus Award finalist, but doing it with a pair of freshmen is virtually unheard of.
Don’t write the Crimson Tide’s obituary just yet.
After losing Dylan Moses to what appears to be a season-ending knee injury earlier this week, Alabama was forced to replace its signal-caller with true freshman Shane Lee. Lining up beside Lee was fellow true freshman Christian Harris, who was called on to replace Joshua McMillion after the redshirt senior also suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason camp.
The freshman duo was supposed to stumble Saturday under the bright lights of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Instead, they served as a leading force in Alabama’s 42-3 victory over Duke, helping stymie a Blue Devil offense to just 204 yards.
“Well, I think they did a good job,” head coach Nick Saban said. “There was a couple things that we sort of made some errors on, but for the most part, for the first game, for both of these guys, both being true freshmen, I thought they made a lot of good plays.
“You know, we got some things thrown at us early in the game that was totally different, sort of a double wing almost wishbone type stuff. We had never practiced that before. But they did a good job adapting with the run reads, and they did a pretty good job in coverage for the most part. I'm sure that there's going to be a lot of things that we're all going to learn from this experience, but I was pretty pleased for the first time out.”
Lee and Harris, both former four-star recruits, finished with six stops apiece. Lee’s first tackle came on a crucial fourth-and-1 from Alabama’s 7-yard line on Duke’s second possession of the game. The stop not only helped prevent a would-be scoring drive for the Blue Devils but also served as a momentum boost for a defense still looking to get its feet set in the game.
“It was very big,” cornerback Trevon Diggs said. “We need more stops like that to set the tone for the defense, and I feel like it was a good start.”
On top of the injuries to Moses and McMillon, Alabama’s defense also started the game short-handed as starting Sam linebacker Terrell Lewis was suspended for the first quarter after missing a team function earlier this offseason. Lee and Harris tallied two tackles apiece during the first quarter and helped Alabama stop Duke on its first five offensive possessions of the game.
"They looked good,” Lewis said. “I love the fact that even throughout the week, before all the controversy and stuff like that, they’ve been those kind of guys that want to learn, want to make sure they do everything right. Having them out there with that energy, trying to make sure they do everything right as a signal-caller and get the calls relayed to us on the front seven and the guys on the backend. It was good just knowing we’ve got young guys who are really alert. They want it just as bad as everybody else do.”
Along with his ability to make plays, Lee was also called on to fill in for Moses as the team's signal-caller. According to his teammates, the freshman remained poised throughout the game while flawlessly executing his verbal duties on the field.
“I’m proud of him,” Lewis said. “That’s a young guy who stepped in and got thrown into the fire. He did a really good job.”
Earlier Saturday, Moses posted a photo of himself on Instagram, stating he had a "successful surgery” and was looking forward to rehab. While the junior is expected to miss the entire season, he’ll have the support of his teammates during the recovery process.
“I talked to him,” said Lewis, who missed all of last season with an ACL injury. “He’s in a good place mentally. I know exactly what he’s going through, so I kind of told him to stay in touch with me and keep me around because I know how you’re feeling. He’s doing well mentally, so I’m proud of how he’s attacking it.
Alabama will host its home-opener next Saturday as it goes up against New Mexico State at 3 p.m. CT.
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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