Bryce Young breaks down play of Ja'Corey Brooks, emerging role in Alabama offense

With the loss of John Metchie III to an ACL injury, Alabama knew another receiver was going to have to step up in his place. Earlier this week, Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young talked about Ja’Corey Brooks and how much he’s stepped up recently for the Alabama passing attack.

“Ja’Corey stepped up tremendously last week, last game. I think he’s really growing into that role of being someone we can depend down in, down out. Someone who obviously at the beginning of the season wasn’t getting the reps he’s getting now,” the Heisman Trophy winner said.

“But that didn’t discourage him at all. He stayed ready, stayed focused and locked in. I think that’s really showing as of late. So when his name was called he responded. And that’s always been a big thing for us, is having the next man up.

“So it’s been time for him to step up and he’s been doing a great job of that so far. And I have all the confidence in the world with him to continue to do that,” he said.

Ja’Corey Brooks has made plays in a number of ways for the Tide in 2021

Against Cincinnati, Brooks hauled in a 44-yard touchdown catch to break the Cotton Bowl open on New Year’s Eve.

The touchdown catch for Brooks was just his second receiving touchdown of the year. His other score came against the Auburn Tigers in the 24-22 4OT classic in the Iron Bowl. Brooks also blocked a punt in the Texas A&M game, which the Tide recovered for a touchdown in the back of the end zone.

Alabama led the Cincinnati game, 17-3 at halftime. The Crimson Tide dominated for most of the game and won 27-6. Brooks led his team in receiving yardage for the game, hauling in four catches for 66 yards and one receiving touchdown.

While Bryce Young certainly did look uncomfortable a number of times in the first half, passes like the touchdown toss to Brooks remind fans why he’s the Heisman Trophy winner.

While Young didn’t have the greatest performance in the game, he completed 17 of his 28 pass attempts for 181 passing yards, while tossing in three touchdowns and one interception. He did enough to ensure the Tide gave Cincinnati a thorough whipping.

While the Bearcats battled for a good chunk of the game, Alabama was simply too strong in the trenches on both sides of the football.

It’ll be interesting to see how much Young targets Brooks in the national championship game in Indianapolis. The game will be on Monday, Jan. 10. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. EST for the rematch between Alabama and Georgia.