Snap Counts and Observations: Game 7 vs. Kentucky

In its first game in 21 days, Alabama delivered a complete performance, beating Kentucky 63-3 last weekend.

Six players made their season debuts for the Crimson Tide on offense or defense, including two freshmen who saw their first career action.

Below is a breakdown of snap counts for every player, first by offense and defense and then with additional observations by position:

Offense (66 snaps)
Emil Ekiyor Jr. 56
Evan Neal 56
Jahleel Billingsley 46
Alex Leatherwood 46
Deonte Brown 46
Landon Dickerson 46
John Metchie III 44
DeVonta Smith 43
Mac Jones 39
Najee Harris 32
Javon Baker 28
Bryce Young 27
Carl Tucker 21
Kendall Randolph 21
Tommy Brown 20
Slade Bolden 19
Brian Robinson Jr. 14
Xavier Williams 14
Jase McClellan 10
Roydell Williams 10
Cameron Latu 10
Major Tennison 10
Javion Cohen 10
Chris Owens 10
Seth McLaughlin 10
Damieon George 10
Traeshon Holden 8
Thaiu Jones-Bell 8
Amari Kight 7
Tanner Bowles 3
Joshua McMillon 2

The offense used mostly Blue personnel (three wide receivers) early in the game, and it resorted to mostly Silver personnel (two tight ends) later as it ran out the clock. The totals were 36 snaps in Blue (54.5%) and 28 snaps in Silver (42.4%). It also ran two plays at the goal line using Tan personnel (four tight ends). It scored on both, improving to 11 for 12 at scoring touchdowns out of Tan personnel this season and remaining perfect on Tan personnel at the goal line.

Defense (56 snaps)
Josh Jobe 50
Patrick Surtain II 50
Jordan Battle 50
Dylan Moses 47
Christian Harris 46
Malachi Moore 42
Daniel Wright 42
Chris Allen 35
Will Anderson 34
Phidarian Mathis 29
Justin Eboigbe 25
D.J. Dale 25
Christian Barmore 23
Byron Young 17
Tim Smith 16
Demarcco Hellams 12
Brian Branch 12
LaBryan Ray 10
Joshua McMillon 8
Jamil Burroughs 6
Marcus Banks 6
Ronald Williams Jr. 6
Jalyn Armour-Davis 6
Braylen Ingraham 4
Drew Sanders 3
Ben Davis 3
Ale Kaho 3
Eddie Smith 3
Jaylen Moody 2
Jarez Parks 1

Just over 60% of the defensive snaps were in its typical nickel personnel: three D-linemen, an outside linebacker, two inside linebackers and five defensive backs. It used its base personnel, which removes a DB and adds an OLB, on eight snaps against Kentucky's heavier formations. In passing situations, it used its nickel rabbits package (2 DL, 2 OLBs, 2 ILBs) on five snaps and was in dime (six DBs) on seven snaps.

QUARTERBACKS
Mac Jones 39
Bryce Young 27

This was Young's most playing time to date in his freshman season. His first throw was a beautifully placed go route down the left sideline to DeVonta Smith, and he later connected with Smith on a scramble, throwing across his body into a tight window for his first collegiate touchdown. He got the benefit of running that drive with the starting offensive line, but he also took a sack in the red zone.

Jones had his fewest passing yards and completions and lowest completion percentage and passing efficiency of the season, finishing 16 of 24 for 230 yards. His touchdown to Smith was one of his best throws of the year, but he also threw his third interception of the year, with coach Nick Saban saying his quarterback "got a little greedy."

RUNNING BACKS
Najee Harris 32
Brian Robinson Jr. 14
Jase McClellan 10
Roydell Williams 10

Harris and Robinson both struggled to get going, averaging less than 4 yards per carry other than Harris' career-long 42-yard run. That was his 16th touchdown run of the year, the most in the FBS.

Alabama's final two drives lasted 5:36 and 6:44, respectively, and each consisted of 10 runs. True freshmen McClellan and Williams each got 10 carries over those two drives, and each got his first career touchdown. McClellan was the team's leading rusher, with 10 carries for 99 yards.

WIDE RECEIVERS
John Metchie III 44
DeVonta Smith 43
Javon Baker 28
Slade Bolden 19
Xavier Williams 14
Traeshon Holden 8
Thaiu Jones-Bell 8

All seven healthy scholarship receivers played at least eight snaps. Baker's career high of 28 is partly due to Bolden's ankle injury. He's expected to be fine for Saturday's Iron Bowl. None of the freshmen — Baker, Holden and Jones-Bell — were targeted. When all three were on the field, Jones-Bell was the slot receiver.

TIGHT ENDS
Jahleel Billingsley 46
Carl Tucker 21
Kendall Randolph 11
Cameron Latu 10
Major Tennison 10
Joshua McMillon 2

It was somewhat of a breakout game for Billingsley, who played more than two-thirds of the snaps in Miller Forristall's absence and doubled his career catch total in the game. He caught a 34-yard pass from Jones and hurdled a Kentucky defender on Alabama's first offensive play, an impresssive athletic feat for the 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore.

Forristall was held out of the game due to ankle and shoulder injuries, but Saban said he could have played if they had needed him to.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Left tackle: Alex Leatherwood 46, Evan Neal 10, Javion Cohen 10
Left guard: Deonte Brown 46, Tommy Brown 20
Center: Landon Dickerson 46, Chris Owens 10, Seth McLaughlin 10
Right guard: Emil Ekiyor Jr. 56, Amari Kight 7, Tanner Bowles 3
Right tackle: Evan Neal 46, Kendall Randolph 10, Damieon George 10

This group went really, really deep into the reserves. Kight got his first playing time of the season, and McLaughlin and George made their Alabama debuts. Neal moved from right tackle with the starters to left tackle with the second team, perhaps to help prepare him for a move to left tackle next year. Randolph continued to play both tight end and O-line.

The O-line showed an unbalanced look on Harris' 42-yard touchdown, with both tackles, Neal and Leatherwood, aligning to the left of the center. From left to right, the line was Leatherwood, Neal, Brown, Dickerson (who snapped the ball), Ekiyor.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Phidarian Mathis 29
Justin Eboigbe 25
D.J. Dale 25
Christian Barmore 23
Byron Young 17
Tim Smith 16
LaBryan Ray 10
Jamil Burroughs 6
Braylen Ingraham 4

Mathis continued his breakout season by leading the way for the first time. It's noteworthy that he's versatile enough to play nose tackle and defensive end, but he is also occasionally used on third down to rush the passer. In this game, though, it was mostly Barmore and Ray on third down, with Ray getting back into the lineup after missing the previous three games. Smith, the freshman nose tackle, made a career-high 16 snaps and showed good quickness off the line of scrimmage.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
Chris Allen 35
Will Anderson 34
Drew Sanders 3
Ben Davis 3
Jarez Parks 1

Anderson had a strong advantage over Allen in the previous game, but here they returned to a basically even split. Allen got his third sack and seventh tackle for loss of the season. It was the sixth straight game in which he's had a tackle for loss.

Sanders also got his first defensive snaps since the Ole Miss game six weeks prior, Davis made his first appearance since the Georgia game, and Parks got his first defensive action of the season.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS
Dylan Moses 47
Christian Harris 46
Joshua McMillon 8
Ale Kaho 3
Jaylen Moody 2

Harris led the team with 11 total tackles, eight of which were solo, and a sack. McMillon, the sixth-year senior, relieved Moses in the fourth quarter, and Moody and Kaho were Harris' replacements later on. These were Kaho's first defensive snaps of the season, although he plays a crucial role on special teams.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Left corner: Patrick Surtain II 50, Ronald Williams Jr. 6
Right corner: Josh Jobe 50, Marcus Banks 6
Star: Malachi Moore 42, Jalyn Armour-Davis 6
Safety: Jordan Battle 50, Daniel Wright 42, Demarcco Hellams 12, Brian Branch 5, Eddie Smith 3
Money: Brian Branch 7

For the second straight game, Williams and Armour-Davis entered in the fourth quarter. Banks got his first defensive snaps of the season in relief of Jobe. Moore's snaps are lower than Jobe and Surtain's because there were eight snaps in base personnel, meaning there's no Star on the field. Hellams took Wright's place after Battle's pick-six, and Branch played some safety snaps late after manning his usual Money position throughout the game in dime.