Alabama’s offense improved when Elijah Pritchett came into the game

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — For 54 minutes of Alabama’s game against South Florida on Saturday night, the Crimson Tide struggled to get anything going on offense. Alabama couldn’t run the ball effectively and the offensive line struggled with run blocking and pass protection. The Tide, leading by one point entering the fourth quarter, had just 14 points and 57 yards on the ground.

Jalen Milroe connected with Kobe Prentice to extend Alabama’s lead to eight points, but South Florida responded with a full-court attack to cut the deficit back to five. Then the Crimson Tide offense turned the tide. Elijah Pritchett came in at right tackle for Wilkin Formby and Alabama scored 21 unanswered points in the final 5:50 of the game to win 42-16.

“Towards the end, we really focused on doing our job, doing our duties,” Alabama center Parker Brailsford said. “Whatever we needed to get done, we did it. That really helped us.”

On the first series with Pritchett in the game, Milroe found wide receiver Ryan Williams, who scored a 43-yard touchdown on a three-play, 75-yard run. On the next series, junior running back Jam Miller broke through a gap on the right side and sprinted down the field for a game-tying 56-yard touchdown.

Alabama then got the ball back with just under two minutes left and Justice Haynes broke through on the right side for a 29-yard touchdown. Pritchett helped break a block at the end of the game that allowed Haynes to reach the end zone.

“We all believe in our teammates,” Miller said. “From the oldest to the youngest, we all just believe in each other. When a new player comes in, we know what he’s going to do and that he’s going to do his best.”

Formby and Pritchett battled for the right tackle position throughout fall camp, and coaches said that position battle would continue throughout the season. However, after Kadyn Proctor was injured during pregame warmups against Western Kentucky, Pritchett started at left tackle and Formby played right. Against South Florida on Saturday, Formby again started at right tackle, but Tyler Booker started at left tackle instead of his usual spot at left guard. Geno VanDeMark, who transferred from Michigan State, filled in for Booker at left guard.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said Pritchett suffered a “minor injury” against Western Kentucky and didn’t practice much earlier in the week, but did practice on Wednesday and Thursday. However, Pritchett had been practicing primarily at left guard and Alabama trusted Booker and VanDeMark. According to DeBoer, Pritchett could have started, but they tried to hold out and keep him as healthy as possible.

“He has that fighting mentality in him,” Miller said of Pritchett. “Sometimes you have to fight through injuries.”

The biggest change for DeBoer in the final minutes was that his team stopped committing penalties. Alabama finished the night with 13 penalties for 120 yards. Nine of those 13 penalties were on offense and they prevented several big plays and touchdowns. Formby struggled on the night, taking three holding penalties and a fourth offset by a South Florida penalty, but negating a big catch by Prentice.

“It was just a matter of not taking penalties and not being behind the chains,” DeBoer said. “You saw that too, and it’s hard to win a game. It’s hard to overcome situations where you’re only going for a second and a third.”

“And so we had to learn some lessons the hard way tonight. There’s no doubt about it. Two touchdowns that were taken back for holding calls and of course the loss of the ball inside the 5-yard line. When we didn’t hold and moved the ball forward, good things happened. But we have to be able to do that over and over again on consecutive plays and have sustainable drives.”

Alabama managed to get three down six times in the game, but scored on all three possessions with Pritchett. DeBoer said Alabama should be in better health before the game against Wisconsin, which likely means Proctor will be back. But if it looked like the right tackle position was already settled after the season opener, Pritchett put his name back in the ring with his performance in the closing minutes Saturday night.