There was considerable buzz surrounding Alabama’s offensive line this preseason.

They were the size of an NFL unit, the numbers said.

And they were mad, their leader said.

Right tackle JC Latham didn’t hold back at SEC Media Days back in July when talking about the physical mentality they wanted to restore to a group that had taken heat in recent years.

“We’re going to be physical up front,” Latham said two months ago today in Nashville. “And we’re going to have receivers who want to block and we’re going to have running backs who want to run through people. Just bringing that physicality as well because there are a lot of people saying we aren’t who we once were.”

The first three games of the 2023 season have only added to that contrarian chorus.

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Any talk of a return to the joyless murderball days of the past appears to have been pleaded down to lesser charges.

Alabama’s running game is right around the FBS mid-pack with an average carry of 4.40 yards. That ranks 67th but also includes quarterback Jalen Milroe’s 92 net rushing yards (4.2 average) — often recorded in scramble situations.

But it’s the time the Alabama quarterbacks couldn’t avoid the pass rush that’s the greatest indictment on the line.

Consider the 12 times Crimson Tide passers were sacked this season. That ranks 126th among FBS teams.

Then recognize those 12 sacks equal the entire allowance of the 2019 Alabama offensive line.

Those 12 were spread out over a 13-game season while this 12 came before entering SEC play. South Florida, who went without a sack against a Western Kentucky team that threw the ball 50 times, had five against Alabama who successfully attempted just 23.

Texas also had five in the 34-24 win Sept. 9 in Bryant-Denny Stadium. In the other two games, the Longhorns totaled three. They played Rice and Wyoming.

So what gives?

Nick Saban on Monday said South Florida only threw one look at Alabama it hadn’t seen on tape.

“But I think the players were not communicating well and not on the same page sometimes, and I think that created issues and problems,” Saban said. “I thought that the offensive line played like our offensive line needs to play in the last 6:29 of the game, and that’s something that we wanna build on.”

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There were also times when quarterbacks held onto the ball longer a beat or two longer than they should’ve. Running backs had pass protection issues in the opener against MTSU so there are shared responsibilities within the struggles.

The final 6:29 that Saban referenced was the 11-play, 80-yard drive that Alabama ended the game with a final touchdown. The Tide ran it on every play, grinding down the clock and leaning on a South Florida defense that finally wore down.

Alabama finished with four running plays of 15-plus yards, paced by Roydell Williams’ 48-yarder on the final drive. Through the air, Alabama had just one explosive play. The 45-yard pass from Ty Simpson to tight end DJ Dippre was the catalyst for the third-quarter touchdown drive that broke a 3-3 tie.

Other than that, there were just two passes that gained more than 10 yards.

There just wasn’t much time to operate back there.

Saban on Monday explained some of the math involved when deciding how many players to use in pass protection versus running routes.

“Obviously, a lot of play-action passes are supposed to complement the running game, and you don’t get five guys out in the pattern,” Saban said. “So sometimes you wanna secure the protection and hopefully the play-action passes allow some vertical routes down the field to be effective. We’ve hit some explosive plays on those kinds of plays this year. Six-man protection, the back gets out late. When you get all guys out, you’ve got five guys to block five guys, so that puts the most stress on the offensive line. I think you’ve gotta have a combination of all three of those things to have an effective offensive team.”

Starting left guard Tyler Booker was also out Saturday, an absence Saban said impacted his left tackle neighbor. True freshman Kadyn Proctor, a 6-foot-7, 360-pound newcomer got his taste of college football early but he wasn’t alone. Preseason first all-conference right tackle Latham was beaten for one of the five sacks in Tampa.

This was a South Florida defensive front that Saban said was as “exotic” as Alabama’s seen.

“I think they did a really great job of being aggressive and not standing still,” Latham said. “When you have guys who might not be able to take on the best blocks, you’re going to move them around a lot. I think they understood that and I think they did what they had to do to just create a lot of confusion and complexity.”

That also created a blueprint for opponents moving forward.

Alabama will face an Ole Miss defense at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday that’s recorded 10 sacks in the first three games. It’s a group that got to Bryce Young for three sacks in last year’s 30-24 Alabama win that came down to the final play.

So there are much greater challenges ahead for an offensive line that arrived with high expectations before yielding a full season’s worth of sacks in the first three games.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.