Alabama Crimson Tide true freshman cornerback Zabien Brown confronted the largest take a look at of his younger profession this previous weekend, going up in opposition to the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in simply his fourth-ever school sport.
Brown, a five-star recruit within the Class of 2024, instantly impressed the teaching workers this offseason, resulting in him enjoying a major position from Week 1 onwards within the Crimson Tide secondary.
And the outcomes have been constructive. By the primary three video games, Brown allowed simply two complete catches for 27 yards on seven targets, whereas enjoying 86 protection snaps, which led Alabama’s trio of five-star true freshmen cornerbacks.
Nonetheless, Georgia was a major step up in competitors from Western Kentucky, South Florida and Wisconsin. And when the Bulldogs noticed a major deficit early in Week 5, they appeared in Brown’s course to attempt to win some 1-on-1 matchups.
Enjoying probably the most snaps in a sport so far, Brown noticed a team-high 9 targets come his means in Week 5, with nearly each considered one of them coming deep, as his common depth of goal thrown at him was 21.9 yards.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw his means early within the first half, however Brown had good protection, forcing an offensive go interference in opposition to prime wideout Dominic Lovett that in the end derailed the Bulldogs’ first drive of the sport.
It was within the second half, nevertheless, when the motion began to select up, as Beck appeared Brown’s means a number of occasions because the Bulldogs tried to mount their comeback.
All of it started when the true freshman was overwhelmed 1-on-1 in opposition to Arian Smith, giving up a 12-yard landing go that introduced Georgia again to 30-15.
On the subsequent drive, Brown gave up a 4th & 6 to Dillon Bell, however Beck fumbled on the play after, ending that drive.
The large play got here with Georgia driving but once more down 33-21 with below seven minutes to go. Searching for the large play, Beck focused Brown once more, hitting Arian Smith for a 47-yard achieve up the sidelines on a again shoulder the place the cornerback wasn’t in nice place. That in the end led to a landing two performs later, reducing the result in 5.
However, when it mattered most, the five-star cornerback got here to play, as Beck appeared his means once more on the ultimate drive twice, attempting to hit Colbie Younger 1-on-1 deep on 2nd & 8 after coming into Alabama territory. Brown was there on the play in shut protection, forcing the incompletion.
After Georgia received the primary down, getting all the best way to the Alabama 20-yard line, Beck appeared to focus on that 1-on-1 matchup once more, however Brown known as ballgame, making ready nicely for the again shoulder and intercepting the ball ultimately zone, giving the Crimson Tide a serious 41-34 victory in one of many greatest video games of the yr.
All yr lengthy, Brown has been prepared for the second, however there was no larger than the sport winding down on Saturday, when the cornerback made the play of the sport to seal the deal.
“[Defensive Backs] Coach Mo (Linguist), he stored stressing his vertical, his vertical sport,” Brown mentioned after the sport, by way of Alabama.com’s Matt Stahl. “Again shoulder. This was coming. Earlier on, I had turned away from the again shoulder and I simply knew, if I had the chance once more, I used to be gonna flip to the person and the ball could be proper there.”
Nicely, Brown did precisely that and was showered by celebrations each in and after the second, displaying how he was prepared for the largest second of his life as a real freshman.
By 4 video games this yr, Brown has allowed a catch charge of simply 43.8 p.c, whereas giving up a passer ranking of 58.6. However, he received the stat that mattered probably the most: his first profession interception, and it couldn’t have come at a greater time.
