A little more than a month ago, Josh Jobe was coming off his best game of the season. Mississippi State’s pass-happy attack made the mistake of picking on him, and the Alabama cornerback made the Bulldogs pay.
Jobe was targeted a season-high 13 times during Alabama’s 49-9 victory over Mississippi State. He allowed six completions on those throws which netted just 32 yards, registering an opposing NFL passer rating of 21.0. For perspective, Mississippi State quarterback Will Rodgers would have had a better rating if he had elected to throw the ball into the turf instead of at Jobe.
That was especially true during the opening possession of the game, as Jobe recorded an interception to stop a likely scoring drive and set the tone for Alabama’s strong defensive showing on the night. The senior cornerback went on to record six tackles, including one for a loss, to go with his pick and was named one of the Tide’s players of the week by the coaching staff following the game.
Since then, things haven’t gone so well.
Over his last four games, Jobe has been targeted 15 times, allowing 13 completions for 295 yards and two touchdowns. That includes a career-worst performance against Arkansas over the weekend where he allowed four completions on four targets, giving up 149 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Jobe, generally known for his physicality, was bullied by Treylon Burks, allowing the Arkansas receiver to outmuscle him en route to a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter. It’s questionable whether Burks should have been called for offensive pass interference on the play. However, a struggling Jobe was replaced by freshman cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry on Arkansas’ following possession.
Following Alabama’s win over LSU earlier this month, Nick Saban noted that Jobe had been dealing with a turf toe injury. Monday, the head coach was asked if that had anything to do with the cornerback's struggles against Arkansas over the weekend.
“I don’t know. Josh practiced well all week,” Saban replied. “Just had a couple tough plays in the game. I think sometimes when players get a little frustrated that sometimes you’re protecting them by not putting them in there when they’re not feeling confident in themselves. We’ll talk today and see what we can do to help him to sort of play the way he’s capable of playing because that’s the No. 1 goal we all have here.”
McKinstry wasn’t tested much after entering the game against Arkansas. The freshman was beaten on the only ball thrown his way, allowing a 27-yard completion to Burks in the fourth quarter.
“I think that Kool-Aid did OK,” Saban said following the game. “A lot of times, when they’re on the other side, it’s hard for me to see exactly how they’re doing. But I thought he did a pretty good job. He’s gotten better all season. He’s more confident. He knows what to do. He’s a bright guy. He prepares well. And we have a lot of confidence in him playing.”
McKinstry, the top-rated cornerback in this year’s class, has played well during his time with the first-team defense this season. The five-star freshman has made two starts over 10 appearances and ranks third among Alabama’s regulars with a 71.0 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. He’s been targeted 12 times on the year, allowing six completions for 101 yards and a touchdown while also recording an interception and a pass breakup.
“He's been growing every week since he got here in the spring,” Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore said earlier this month. “And I feel like he's done a good job with that. He's learning the defense more and starting to learn all the adjustments more and think fast and on the fly, and I feel like that’s really helping his game just learning the playbook.”
Added wide receiver Jameson Williams: “He has some things that I’ve never seen other DBs do, going in practice. I’ll go to him and be like, ‘Yo, that’s tough. Where’d you get that from?’”
While Alabama players might be high on McKinstry at the moment, they certainly haven’t given up on Jobe. Despite his recent struggles, the senior is tied for second on the team with four pass breakups.
“Just tell Josh, stay physical on the outside, use your speed more,” safety Jordan Battle said of his message to Jobe at the moment. “Stay smart, he’s very smart. He doesn’t have to look at me for the plays. He looks at the sideline, he gets the plays very quick. He’s making wonderful progress on the outside on that island, so we’re loving Josh right now.”
Alabama’s top cornerback this season has been Jalyn-Armour Davis, who has a team-high three interceptions to go with four pass deflections over 10 starts. The redshirt junior ranks second among Alabama’s regular defenders with an 82.2 coverage grade and is holding opposing quarterbacks to a 48.0 NFL passer rating. His play provides optimism for an Alabama secondary that ranks seventh in the SEC allowing 220.5 yards per game through the air.
"He's made wonderful progress for us this year," Battle said. "He's getting better for us every week. I called him earlier the year, he has the best feet on the team. He's showing it all year, and we love him."
No. 2 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 in the SEC) will wrap up its regular-season schedule Saturday as it travels to Auburn (6-5, 3-4) for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers rank seventh in the SEC, averaging 250.6 passing yards per game but will be without quarterback Bo Nix, who had surgery to repair an ankle injury earlier this month.
Sophomore TJ Finley is set to start in Nix's place Saturday. The LSU transfer completed 17 of 32 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown with an interception in his first start of the season during Auburn's 21-17 loss to South Carolina last weekend.
"We've seen TJ before at LSU," Battle said. "We know he's becoming a better player in a new system. We know we've got to stay in our rush contains because he's a mobile guy, and he can extend plays and keep his eyes downfield while he's rushing. We're really going to have to lock on our man."
Jobe was targeted a season-high 13 times during Alabama’s 49-9 victory over Mississippi State. He allowed six completions on those throws which netted just 32 yards, registering an opposing NFL passer rating of 21.0. For perspective, Mississippi State quarterback Will Rodgers would have had a better rating if he had elected to throw the ball into the turf instead of at Jobe.
That was especially true during the opening possession of the game, as Jobe recorded an interception to stop a likely scoring drive and set the tone for Alabama’s strong defensive showing on the night. The senior cornerback went on to record six tackles, including one for a loss, to go with his pick and was named one of the Tide’s players of the week by the coaching staff following the game.
Since then, things haven’t gone so well.
Over his last four games, Jobe has been targeted 15 times, allowing 13 completions for 295 yards and two touchdowns. That includes a career-worst performance against Arkansas over the weekend where he allowed four completions on four targets, giving up 149 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Jobe, generally known for his physicality, was bullied by Treylon Burks, allowing the Arkansas receiver to outmuscle him en route to a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter. It’s questionable whether Burks should have been called for offensive pass interference on the play. However, a struggling Jobe was replaced by freshman cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry on Arkansas’ following possession.
Following Alabama’s win over LSU earlier this month, Nick Saban noted that Jobe had been dealing with a turf toe injury. Monday, the head coach was asked if that had anything to do with the cornerback's struggles against Arkansas over the weekend.
“I don’t know. Josh practiced well all week,” Saban replied. “Just had a couple tough plays in the game. I think sometimes when players get a little frustrated that sometimes you’re protecting them by not putting them in there when they’re not feeling confident in themselves. We’ll talk today and see what we can do to help him to sort of play the way he’s capable of playing because that’s the No. 1 goal we all have here.”
McKinstry wasn’t tested much after entering the game against Arkansas. The freshman was beaten on the only ball thrown his way, allowing a 27-yard completion to Burks in the fourth quarter.
“I think that Kool-Aid did OK,” Saban said following the game. “A lot of times, when they’re on the other side, it’s hard for me to see exactly how they’re doing. But I thought he did a pretty good job. He’s gotten better all season. He’s more confident. He knows what to do. He’s a bright guy. He prepares well. And we have a lot of confidence in him playing.”
McKinstry, the top-rated cornerback in this year’s class, has played well during his time with the first-team defense this season. The five-star freshman has made two starts over 10 appearances and ranks third among Alabama’s regulars with a 71.0 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. He’s been targeted 12 times on the year, allowing six completions for 101 yards and a touchdown while also recording an interception and a pass breakup.
“He's been growing every week since he got here in the spring,” Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore said earlier this month. “And I feel like he's done a good job with that. He's learning the defense more and starting to learn all the adjustments more and think fast and on the fly, and I feel like that’s really helping his game just learning the playbook.”
Added wide receiver Jameson Williams: “He has some things that I’ve never seen other DBs do, going in practice. I’ll go to him and be like, ‘Yo, that’s tough. Where’d you get that from?’”
While Alabama players might be high on McKinstry at the moment, they certainly haven’t given up on Jobe. Despite his recent struggles, the senior is tied for second on the team with four pass breakups.
“Just tell Josh, stay physical on the outside, use your speed more,” safety Jordan Battle said of his message to Jobe at the moment. “Stay smart, he’s very smart. He doesn’t have to look at me for the plays. He looks at the sideline, he gets the plays very quick. He’s making wonderful progress on the outside on that island, so we’re loving Josh right now.”
Alabama’s top cornerback this season has been Jalyn-Armour Davis, who has a team-high three interceptions to go with four pass deflections over 10 starts. The redshirt junior ranks second among Alabama’s regular defenders with an 82.2 coverage grade and is holding opposing quarterbacks to a 48.0 NFL passer rating. His play provides optimism for an Alabama secondary that ranks seventh in the SEC allowing 220.5 yards per game through the air.
"He's made wonderful progress for us this year," Battle said. "He's getting better for us every week. I called him earlier the year, he has the best feet on the team. He's showing it all year, and we love him."
No. 2 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 in the SEC) will wrap up its regular-season schedule Saturday as it travels to Auburn (6-5, 3-4) for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers rank seventh in the SEC, averaging 250.6 passing yards per game but will be without quarterback Bo Nix, who had surgery to repair an ankle injury earlier this month.
Sophomore TJ Finley is set to start in Nix's place Saturday. The LSU transfer completed 17 of 32 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown with an interception in his first start of the season during Auburn's 21-17 loss to South Carolina last weekend.
"We've seen TJ before at LSU," Battle said. "We know he's becoming a better player in a new system. We know we've got to stay in our rush contains because he's a mobile guy, and he can extend plays and keep his eyes downfield while he's rushing. We're really going to have to lock on our man."
