Slade Bolden acknowledges TD drop: 'Not like me to drop a ball'

Alabama football wide receiver Slade Bolden has been a part of the program for almost four years now. He wasn’t heavily utilized during his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa. But he has seen his role increase since the start of 2020.

Last year, Bolden established himself as a reliable target on the short to intermediate routes. He hauled in 24 catches for 270 yards and a score while sharing targets with first-round talents such as DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.

Out of the slot, the Louisiana native can be an effective weapon. He possesses excellent initial quickness in and out of his breaks and normally, he has reliable hands.

Bolden isn’t perfect though, and he acknowledges that.

In 2020, it was a fumble and a dropped touchdown pass late in the game against Tennessee. Then it was another lost fumble against LSU. Fast forward to this season, and his latest mishaps came in a much bigger moment against Florida on Saturday.

Alabama was up on the Gators 21-16 late in the fourth quarter. On 2nd-and-10 from the Florida 10-yard line, Bryce Young threw a pass to an open Bolden sitting in the back of the endzone. Unfortunately, Bolden dropped the easy catch.

The drop almost eliminated a crucial opportunity to score.

Alabama did end up punching it on 4th-and-1, and everything worked out with a final score of 31-29. Fans were still left frustrated with Bolden though, which is why the redshirt junior was happy to get a question from a reporter asking him about the drop.

“I’m glad you asked that question,” Bolden said to reporters. “Working on receiving and catching is one of the biggest things I take pride in. I’m always trying to catch everything that’s around me, and it’s not like me to drop a ball, but it happens. I’m not perfect in football and just in life, it happens.

“I was able to just once that happened just to go on to the next play. What is the next thing that I can do to help the team, and also what’s the next opportunity that may present itself and take advantage of it? And I was able to have coaches and teammates be able to keep me from getting too down on myself, which I knew from the jump as soon as it happened to forget about it. Next play mentality.”

One reporter followed up with Bolden by asking if he was happy the coaches left him in after the drop, which showed confidence in the veteran pass-catcher.

“I believe that they know exactly what kind of skill sets I bring and attributes that I bring. And dropping one pass or a pass at all, it’s not like me,” Bolden said. “So you know I felt like it was good that they kept me in because you know for any other players you want to keep playing that guy or whoever to you know, if you’re a receiver or quarterback, to keep pressing on. That way they build more confidence. But just like with that being said, I mean I dropped the ball. It is what it is. Move on to the next play.”

As fans can attest, it was a brutal drop.

In blowout games against Tennessee or LSU, those kinds of mistakes are easily forgivable. In a tight road game against a top-10 Florida team, forgiveness is a lot more difficult. But if there’s one thing we know about Bolden, it’s that he’s going to put his head down and keep working.

Taking the “how can I help my team win from here” mentality immediately following the drop is also very telling about his personality. He’s not one to linger on what has happened. It’s more about what he can do from there.

One way or another, Alabama is going to need Bolden to come through once again at some point this season. From what we heard from Bolden, it sounds like he’s ready to embrace that opportunity.