Alabama Crimson Tide true freshman cornerback Zabien Brown faced the biggest test of his young career this past weekend, going up against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in just his fourth-ever college game.
Brown, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, immediately impressed the coaching staff this offseason, leading to him playing a significant role from Week 1 onwards in the Crimson Tide secondary.
And the results have been positive. Through the first three games, Brown allowed just two total catches for 27 yards on seven targets, while playing 86 coverage snaps, which led Alabama’s trio of five-star true freshmen cornerbacks.
However, Georgia was a significant step up in competition from Western Kentucky, South Florida and Wisconsin. And when the Bulldogs saw a significant deficit early in Week 5, they looked in Brown’s direction to try and win some 1-on-1 matchups.
Playing the most snaps in a game thus far, Brown saw a team-high nine targets come his way in Week 5, with almost every one of them coming deep, as his average depth of target thrown at him was 21.9 yards.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw his way early in the first half, but Brown had good coverage, forcing an offensive pass interference against top wideout Dominic Lovett that ultimately derailed the Bulldogs’ first drive of the game.
It was in the second half, however, when the action started to pick up, as Beck looked Brown’s way several times as the Bulldogs attempted to mount their comeback.
It all began when the true freshman was beaten 1-on-1 against Arian Smith, giving up a 12-yard touchdown pass that brought Georgia back to 30-15.
On the next drive, Brown gave up a 4th & 6 to Dillon Bell, but Beck fumbled on the play after, ending that drive.
The big play came with Georgia driving yet again down 33-21 with under seven minutes to go. Looking for the big play, Beck targeted Brown again, hitting Arian Smith for a 47-yard gain up the sidelines on a back shoulder where the cornerback wasn’t in great position. That ultimately led to a touchdown two plays later, cutting the lead to 5.
But, when it mattered most, the five-star cornerback came to play, as Beck looked his way again on the final drive twice, trying to hit Colbie Young 1-on-1 deep on 2nd & 8 after entering Alabama territory. Brown was there on the play in close coverage, forcing the incompletion.
After Georgia got the first down, getting all the way to the Alabama 20-yard line, Beck looked to target that 1-on-1 matchup again, but Brown called ballgame, preparing well for the back shoulder and intercepting the ball in the end zone, giving the Crimson Tide a major 41-34 victory in one of the biggest games of the year.
All year long, Brown has been ready for the moment, but there was no bigger than the game winding down on Saturday, when the cornerback made the play of the game to seal the deal.
“[Defensive Backs] Coach Mo (Linguist), he kept stressing his vertical, his vertical game,” Brown said after the game, via Alabama.com’s Matt Stahl. “Back shoulder. This was coming. Earlier on, I had turned away from the back shoulder and I just knew, if I had the opportunity again, I was gonna turn to the man and the ball would be right there.”
Well, Brown did exactly that and was showered by celebrations both in and after the moment, showing how he was ready for the biggest moment of his life as a true freshman.
Through four games this year, Brown has allowed a catch rate of just 43.8 percent, while giving up a passer rating of 58.6. But, he got the stat that mattered the most: his first career interception, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
