Alabama will officially be without a weapon that could’ve been a major factor against Auburn in Iron Bowl
Alabama’s offense will be without reliable target Josh Cuevas in the Iron Bowl.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is finishing up its week of preparation before it hits the road to take on the Auburn Tigers in a very critical Iron Bowl.
The entire season is on the line for Alabama after coming in ranked No. 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. A win sends Alabama to the SEC Championship, and a loss knocks them out of it, as well as the College Football Playoffs.
Everyone knows that anything can happen at night in Jordan-Hare Stadium, so Alabama has to be at its best and make a statement instead of another close call. That might be a little tougher than expected now that tight end Josh Cuevas will be missing the game.
TE Josh Cuevas will not play in the Iron Bowl
After having a strange game against Eastern Illinois last week, quarterback Ty Simpson is looking to make a statement against Auburn, but he will have to do so without a very reliable weapon. Alabama was without both Cuevas and Germie Bernard last week, and the starting tight end will miss another game, while Bernard looks like he will play.
Simpson has loved throwing to Cuevas this season, and he’s actually third in catches on offense with 30, and also has 341 yards and four touchdowns to go with it. Cuevas is also clutch for Simpson, and he’s a major safety blanket when Alabama needs a first down. He has 22 first downs and only two drops all season, according to PFF, and that reliability will be missed. When one man goes down, another has to rise.
Alabama needs its playmakers to step up without Cuevas
As I mentioned, Bernard looks good to go against Auburn, which is huge considering he’s the leading wide receiver in every major category with 48 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns. They need others to step up, and hopefully Ryan Williams can make the big plays we know he’s capable of, and not the shocking drops on Saturday.
When Cuevas was out last week, we saw a preview of the future as freshman tight end Marshall Pritchett led the team in targets with four, and he could see more coming his way on Saturday. Head coach Kalen DeBoer has spoken highly of Pritchett’s growth and knows he can make plays in a big game.
Losing Cuevas is big, but Alabama has plenty of weapons to be able to take care of business while he gets healthy for hopefully an SEC Championship game and a run in the College Football Playoffs.