Tide will turn to Holcombe again
The last time redshirt junior linebacker Keith Holcombe was needed to step into Alabama’s starting lineup, it was temporary.
This time, it could be for the remainder of Holcombe’s time with the Crimson Tide.
Holcombe started September wins over Fresno State and Colorado State when senior starter Rashaan Evans was recovering from a groin injury sustained in the opening win over Florida State. Now Holcombe is replacing Shaun Dion Hamilton, whose college career ended last Saturday night with a broken kneecap against LSU.
“We have to step up to the plate,” Holcombe said this week in a news conference. “It’s like we’ve been saying all season, ‘Injuries happen, and it’s next man up.’ Whether that’s me or some of the younger guys, we have to step up.”
Stepping up has been the name of the game for Alabama’s linebackers this year, with the outside tandem of Terrell Lewis and Christian Miller lost for the season in the opener. Joining Hamilton on the injury list last Saturday was Mack Wilson, an inside contributor who is out for at least the rest of the regular season because of a foot injury.
Hamilton, the only senior among the sidelined quartet, missed last season’s playoff run after tearing his ACL against Florida in the Southeastern Conference title game.
“We all feel for him,” Holcombe said. “He was the leader and a big-time player for this defense. He’s a great friend of mine, and I hate to see him come back from last season and now with another season-ending injury. It’s hard to see.”
Evans and Holcombe are
expected to start inside this week at Mississippi State, with touted freshman Dylan Moses coming off the bench.
Holcombe, a 6-foot-4, 236-pounder from Tuscaloosa, collected a career-high seven tackles and broke up a pass in his first career start against Fresno State, and he came back against Colorado State with another career best of nine tackles and another broken-up pass. His most memorable play this season may have been recovering the fumbled kickoff return against Florida State that set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Damien Harris on the ensuing play that broke that game open.
“Keith has been in the system for a long time, and we have a lot of confidence in him,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Wednesday. “He really understands the system and knows what to do. He can be a signal caller out there for us, and the playing time he got early in the season provided experience that is obviously invaluable.
“We’re very confident that he can do a good job for us.”
Holcombe, who hit .250 in 13 games as a Tide outfielder this past spring, has 30 tackles this season, including two tackles for loss and a sack, which occurred at Texas A&M.
“I’ve done it before, and I’ll do whatever the coaches need me to do,” he said. “I think what happened earlier prepared me for this, and I think that I can play. I’m comfortable with the defense, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
Alabama has set quite the defensive standard the past two seasons against Mississippi State, winning those matchups by a combined score of 82-9.
In their last trip to Starkville two years ago, the Tide sacked Dak Prescott nine times in a 31-6 rout. In last season’s 51-3 bludgeoning in Tuscaloosa, they held Nick Fitzgerald to 15 yards on 11 carries and forced him into a 10-for-33 passing performance.
Holcombe is hoping for more of the same Saturday.
“It’s always fun going into somebody’s house and quieting the entire stadium,” he said. “That’s probably the most fun thing to do in the SEC, if you ask me.”
Tide tidbits
Saban said Wednesday night that junior defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) has done well in practice this week and is prepared to play Saturday. … Sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts has been named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award for a second consecutive year.