Dallas Turner is Heating up at the Perfect Time
When Dallas Turner is in the zone, he can be a difficult to contain, much like a great shooter in basketball. In a victory over Texas A&M this past weekend, the sophomore outside linebacker registered his first two sacks of the 2022 campaign. He showcased the speed and athleticism coming off the edge that made him a freshman All-American in 2021. Through the Crimson Tide’s previous five games, Turner had consistently applied pressure, but he was unable to get to the quarterback.
His two-sack performance comes a week after he registered 2.5 tackles for loss in a victory versus Arkansas.
Last season, Turner did not record his first sack until the team's ninth game. He would go onto accumulate 8.5 sacks over the course of the team’s remaining seven games. This year, Turner is peaking at the ideal time with the Crimson Tide traveling to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker has received a lot of Heisman attention because of his performance to this point. On the season, Hooker is completing 70% of his throws, with 10 touchdowns versus zero interceptions for the undefeated Volunteers. The senior quarterback has been excellent, but he has not seen a pass rush like the Crimson Tide’s.
Alabama has implemented a "cheetah package” that features the Tide’s top three pass rushers, Turner, Will Anderson and Chris Braswell on the field at the same time.
The trio combined to record 12 of the Tide’s 14 quarterback hurries and three sacks versus the Aggies.
“I’m really super proud of Dallas and Braswell,” Anderson said. “They did a tremendous job tonight, and them stepping up big time like this, creating pressure, creating havoc on the quarterback, that’s something we need and they did an excellent job. … We call ourselves the three-headed monster.”
Kickoff this Saturday is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and will air on CBS.