The Alabama Crimson Tide’s offense struggled throughout Saturday’s 26-10 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, but quarterback Keelon Russell didn’t blame the defeat on the absence of star receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams.
Coleman-Williams missed the game with head and knee injuries, leaving the Crimson Tide without one of its top offensive threats.
After the loss, however, Russell made it clear that Alabama had enough available to perform better while also admitting his own underperformance on Saturday.
“They were aggressive. They came out to a good start. Kudos to them; they had a great defense, but I just got to play better as an offensive player,” Russell said. “We’re playing ball. It’s not like we’re missing Jesus, and stuff like that. Just playing ball.
“Not playing with (Coleman-Williams) — we play with the same guys with practice. When Ryan isn’t in on one play, all the other guys are in.”
The comments came after one of Alabama’s worst offensive performances of the season, as the Crimson Tide finished with 201 total yards.
Russell completed 19 of 29 passes for a season-low 147 yards and didn’t throw a touchdown while being intercepted twice and sacked five times.
The Crimson Tide rushed for only 54 yards on 26 attempts and failed to score in the second half after heading into the break losing 10-12.
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Coleman-Williams is tied for Alabama’s team lead with 415 receiving yards and ranks second in receptions with 23, behind Lotzeir Brook’s 26 after Saturday’s outing.
The loss was Alabama’s second straight after a 20-17 defeat against Georgia and dropped the Crimson Tide to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play.
Alabama returns home to face Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
