Jumbo Package: Alabama focused on starting faster, fixing defensive lapses

Happy Gump Day, everyone. Starting faster continues to be the topic du jour around the Mal Moore complex.

Offensive lineman William Sanders said he thought the secret to starting faster was simple. "Pulling each other along," Sanders said. "Everybody has a different role or a job to play. At the end of the day we got to make sure that we do those roles, our roles to the best of our abilities. Move each other along. If somebody's slacking, grab them on and bring them along. At the end of the day, if we just keep that team mentality, we'll start faster and faster every game."

Offensive lineman William Sanders said he thought the secret to starting faster was simple.

"Pulling each other along," Sanders said. "Everybody has a different role or a job to play. At the end of the day we got to make sure that we do those roles, our roles to the best of our abilities. Move each other along. If somebody's slacking, grab them on and bring them along. At the end of the day, if we just keep that team mentality, we'll start faster and faster every game."

"It starts with the first play of the game," Pritchett said. "You know, last week, we had a little four-yard run, second and six, that's pretty ideal to start the game, and then boom, offsides." As operational issues are cleaned up, the expectation is that G.B.O.T. will become a less common situation for the team, especially as it tries to start games faster to avoid early deficits. "Getting a first down on first down goes a long way, especially on the first drive of the game," Pritchett said. "You're still dealing with nerves and everything. You know, I think we obviously trust his (offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's) opening script, play calls. We've just got to go out there and execute better, stay in front of the sticks, and I truly believe that will be something we are going to do a good job with when it comes to it."

"It starts with the first play of the game," Pritchett said. "You know, last week, we had a little four-yard run, second and six, that's pretty ideal to start the game, and then boom, offsides."

As operational issues are cleaned up, the expectation is that G.B.O.T. will become a less common situation for the team, especially as it tries to start games faster to avoid early deficits.

"Getting a first down on first down goes a long way, especially on the first drive of the game," Pritchett said. "You're still dealing with nerves and everything. You know, I think we obviously trust his (offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's) opening script, play calls. We've just got to go out there and execute better, stay in front of the sticks, and I truly believe that will be something we are going to do a good job with when it comes to it."

G.B.O.T. has so many possibilities. Great Ball of Twine? Getting Busy Over Tasmania? Going Broke Ordering Takeout?

Kane Wommack is trying to figure out what went wrong in the secondary, while also keeping some perspective.

"We have an opportunity to be a very good defense here this year," UA's defensive coordinator said Monday. "You look back over the last decade, and really the 2015 and '16 defense are probably the last two truly dominating defenses that we have had here. And the 2015 defense in the first three games gave up 10 points and 17 points, just exactly like we did, and then the third game of the season they gave up 43 points at home and lost the football game. "And what did they do from that point? They responded with a sense of urgency and went on to be one of the best defenses in the country and won a national championship. So everything is ahead of us, but we've got to have a sense of urgency to get it fixed."

"We have an opportunity to be a very good defense here this year," UA's defensive coordinator said Monday. "You look back over the last decade, and really the 2015 and '16 defense are probably the last two truly dominating defenses that we have had here. And the 2015 defense in the first three games gave up 10 points and 17 points, just exactly like we did, and then the third game of the season they gave up 43 points at home and lost the football game.

"And what did they do from that point? They responded with a sense of urgency and went on to be one of the best defenses in the country and won a national championship. So everything is ahead of us, but we've got to have a sense of urgency to get it fixed."

Ole Miss gave Alabama 's defense problems in 2016 and 2020 as well. Those were all elite offenses, and 2026 FSU is decidedly not.

South Carolina 's run game presents quite a challenge.

" LaNorris Sellers is running the ball as good as I have seen him in three years, and he is also creating a lot of explosives in the passing game with a very athletic receiving corps," said Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. The receiving corps is made up of players such as Donovan Murph , Harbor, Mazeo Bennett Jr. and DJ Black. Harbor and Bennett each have caught a team-leading eight passes this season. Harbor has 127 yards but no scores. Murph is the leader in yards with 136 on five receptions and two scores. At running back, the Gamecocks have Matt Fuller , Jabree Coleman, and Isaiah Augustave, among others. Fuller is the leading rusher with 38 carries for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Coleman also has tallied three scores on the ground. Wommack called the South Carolina offense "highly efficient and explosive." "So we'll have a great challenge for us," Wommack said.

" LaNorris Sellers is running the ball as good as I have seen him in three years, and he is also creating a lot of explosives in the passing game with a very athletic receiving corps," said Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.

The receiving corps is made up of players such as Donovan Murph , Harbor, Mazeo Bennett Jr. and DJ Black. Harbor and Bennett each have caught a team-leading eight passes this season. Harbor has 127 yards but no scores. Murph is the leader in yards with 136 on five receptions and two scores.

At running back, the Gamecocks have Matt Fuller , Jabree Coleman, and Isaiah Augustave, among others. Fuller is the leading rusher with 38 carries for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Coleman also has tallied three scores on the ground.

Wommack called the South Carolina offense "highly efficient and explosive."

"So we'll have a great challenge for us," Wommack said.

This SI bro thinks that Alabama is overrated at number 8.

How in the world did Alabama move up two spots after beating Florida State 50-36? The Seminoles are a mess, and the Crimson Tide looked elite on defense in their first two games. Whether it was the weather delay, or something in the water, things got strange in Tuscaloosa. Florida State got out to a 21-6 lead. However, the game got delayed again, and Alabama came out firing on all cylinders. The Crimson Tide scored three touchdowns in just over 3 minutes to take the lead into halftime, and never looked back. Regardless, the Seminoles put up a season-high 36 points and 471 yards. Ashton Daniels threw for 377 yards after not eclipsing that mark in FSU's first two games combined. The offense looks exhilarating, but the defense needs to go back to the drawing board with a tough stretch coming up that includes five straight games against ranked opponents.

How in the world did Alabama move up two spots after beating Florida State 50-36? The Seminoles are a mess, and the Crimson Tide looked elite on defense in their first two games. Whether it was the weather delay, or something in the water, things got strange in Tuscaloosa.

Florida State got out to a 21-6 lead. However, the game got delayed again, and Alabama came out firing on all cylinders. The Crimson Tide scored three touchdowns in just over 3 minutes to take the lead into halftime, and never looked back.

Regardless, the Seminoles put up a season-high 36 points and 471 yards. Ashton Daniels threw for 377 yards after not eclipsing that mark in FSU's first two games combined.

The offense looks exhilarating, but the defense needs to go back to the drawing board with a tough stretch coming up that includes five straight games against ranked opponents.

Last, Bill Connelly ranked the top ten playoff games to date, with Alabama involved in three. Being Gump Day, we will only acknowledge two of those. At 8 is the 2015 national title game over Clemson.

8. 2015 finals: No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40 With 405 passing yards, four touchdowns and 73 rushing yards, Clemson's Deshaun Watson was so good in this one that when Alabama tied the score early in the fourth quarter, coach Nick Saban felt he needed an extra possession to win the game. Bama recovered a surprise onside kick, Jake Coker found O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown, and the Tide never relinquished the lead. But they still needed a Kenyan Drake kick-return score, another huge pass to Howard (which set up Derrick Henry 's third touchdown run) and a late onside kick recovery to hold off the Tigers.

8. 2015 finals: No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40

With 405 passing yards, four touchdowns and 73 rushing yards, Clemson's Deshaun Watson was so good in this one that when Alabama tied the score early in the fourth quarter, coach Nick Saban felt he needed an extra possession to win the game. Bama recovered a surprise onside kick, Jake Coker found O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown, and the Tide never relinquished the lead. But they still needed a Kenyan Drake kick-return score, another huge pass to Howard (which set up Derrick Henry 's third touchdown run) and a late onside kick recovery to hold off the Tigers.

Then, at number two and just behind Georgia's semifinal comeback over Oklahoma…

It clearly should be atop the list, but we'll always take the excuse to post that video.

That's about it for now. Have a great day.