Monday Morning QB: Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr. can't be stopped
Post game notes: Alabama 52, Florida 46
What we learned: John Metchie III a threat on both sides of the ball
Alabama clinched the top spot in the College Football Playoff after surviving a 52-46 thriller against Florida during Saturday night’s SEC Championship Game. Now that we’ve had enough time to process the victory let’s break down what went right and what went wrong. Welcome back to Monday Morning Quarterback where we revisit key sequences, evaluate players and analyze trends in Alabama’s performance.
GOOD: Will Anderson Jr.
Four games ago Will Anderson Jr. had yet to register his first college sack. Now the five-star freshman leads Alabama in the category.
Anderson had a pair of sacks and a forced fumble Saturday night, marking his third straight game with two sacks. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound freshman now leads the team with seven sacks while ranking second with 10.5 tackles for a loss over 11 games.
Anderson’s sack totals are the most by any freshman in the nation while his tackles for a loss trail only TCU freshman defensive end Khari Coleman’s 15. According to Pro Football Focus, he has 52 quarterback pressures, twice as many as any other true freshman.
“Will Anderson’s a listener, great learner,” Alabama safety Jordan Battle said. “He comes in every day ready to work. He’s one of the first guys at the facility for practice. Goes hard every play… He works hard every day, and we love him.”
BamaInsider recently caught up with Anderson’s trainer, former Baylor defensive end Dwight Johnson, who said he worked with the outside linebacker back home in Georgia during Alabama’s open week in early November. After fine-tuning the edge rusher’s form, Johnson said he’s seen things start to click for his former protégé lately.
“You can see a lot of difference from the beginning of the season to now,” Johnson said. “His mind has caught up to the speed of the game. Now he’s able to focus more on technique and his finishing moves.”
BAD: Alabama’s penalties
Alabama had several opportunities to put Florida away Saturday night but was never able to kill the Gators off until the end. One of the more frustrating moments for the Tide came midway through the fourth quarter as it saw a crucial goal-line stop snuffed out by a penalty.
Trailing 45-31 and facing a second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask fumbled the ball allowing Alabama to recover. However, defensive back Josh Jobe was ruled offside on the play, giving the Gators the ball back for a first-and-goal at the 1. Florida running back Dameon Pierce ran in a touchdown on the next play, cutting the deficit back to a single possession with 6:33 remaining.
Alabama committed eight penalties for 72 yards on the night. Seven of those came in the second half as Florida was mounting its comeback. The Gators were flagged six times for 50 yards in the game.
DIFFERENT: Jahleel Billingsley returning kicks
Injuries have forced Alabama to get creative on kick returns in recent weeks. Saturday’s look was especially unusual as the Tide deployed 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end Jahleel Billingsley as a returner.
