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247Sports · BrettGreenberg

3d ago
'Getting very consistent': Alabama tight ends takes big step in pass-catching game in win over South Carolina
Summary
Coaching: Josh Ford had the highlight catch, but there was more than the one-handed catch in the back of the end zone when it came to the tight end position during Alabama's 48-19 win over...
Josh Ford had the highlight catch, but there was more than the one-handed catch in the back of the end zone when it came to the tight end position during Alabama's 48-19 win over South Carolina in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night. Kaleb Edwards tallied four receptions for 44 yards, three of which were for first downs and Marshall Pritchett had two catches for 60 yards, including a long of 38 yards.  "Yeah, they're getting very consistent," head coach Kalen DeBoer told the media when asked about the position during the postgame press conference. "A lot of different guys involved. The touchdown, but Josh (Ford), that was great to see. That throw in the catch at the end to Marshall (Pritchett) was pretty impressive. And you know, when you're running routes and getting tight ends involved that far down the field, usually you think of receivers running some of those routes. That shows the confidence and the ability level that those guys have, and that we have in them. And so, you know, we can get the run game going. Tight ends are going to open up in the play action game, and that showed up tonight quite a few times, not just with the tight ends, but also with the receivers as well." 10 TAKEAWAYS/OBSERVATIONS: What Bama247 learned during Alabama's 49-18 win over South Carolina on Saturday WATCH: Alabama vs South Carolina | Bama247 Postgame Show | Instant Reaction (Photo: Alabama Athletics) The strong night from the tight ends comes off a nice building block performance where Edwards had a touchdown and Pritchett hauled in two receptions in the 50-36 win over Florida State last week. "We were hitting our tight ends," DeBoer brought up during the post game press conference then. "We hit Kaleb (Edwards) in particular, down the middle of the field. I love that we are spreading the wealth to different guys and make it tougher to defend. And Russell is thrilled with the production, too.  "It's sick," he reacted to Ford's one-handed grab. "I mean, the guys are showing me the pictures of the grab. It's like he was Spider-Man and the little webs. I mean, it was an amazing catch by him." He was asked about the connection with Ryan Coleman-Williams, who finished with 98 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday night. The quarterback made sure to credit all of his teammates, which points towards the tight ends as well. "Not even just me and Ryan, the whole offense," Russell told the media. "You know, like I said, like these guys, they're phenomenal. They can turn a 2-yard pass into a touchdown. And it's just like, these guys are great, but this offense in general, each and every one of these guys, we click. We got a lot of work to do. Are things that we got to pick up and still got to get back to the drawing board. But, you know, these guys are amazing. They execute every play, you know, and they work so hard for it. And, you know, it just comes down to when we play ball." On the other side of the ball, linebacker Luke Metz is happy to see the group he is often matched up against in practice succeed. "I feel like that group is very dynamic," he told the media after the win. "You know, you got (Josh) Ford coming down and trying to nail somebody on the head. You got Marshall Pritchett out here catching you know balls left and right. So, you know, I am just proud of that whole tight end group. I have seen them develop just this whole off season. You know them grow and you know they had a lot of heat on them last year, just the (whole) offense. And I am really proud of how they're doing so far this season." As the head coach put it, the tight end room being effective in the passing game is a welcome sight and adds another worry for opposing defenses as sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell continues to improve and look far more comfortable as each week passes. It is also something that offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb brought up after the win over Kentucky, noting that while the receptions weren't quite there yet; they were coming. "The touches certainly haven't shown up yet," he told the media then. "I know Marshall (Pritchett) had a nice catch, he got called back on an illegal alignment. We just weren't off the ball far enough. But he makes a huge play on a third-and-long, and that's the thing. For us at practice, that's what we see Nine do all the time. He's got great hands, he's competitive when the ball's in the air, and he's got great savvy. So that showed up a little bit, but maybe not as much as we've seen." The Florida State game showed glimpses of what the room can be in the passing attack and the win over South Carolina further solidified it. Getting the tight ends involved through the air, while also using their impressive blocking ability to establish the run, is among the keys to success as the Crimson Tide dives deeper into conference play against some talented defensive units. Stay up to date with the latest on the Bama247 VIP Boards.

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Teams: Alabama

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