Chris Braswell lifted his 6-foot-3, 255-pound frame upward, unintentionally making his diamond-studded ‘Braz’ necklace glint under the lights of Davis Wade Stadium. He and his teammates were smiling having concluded their annual stomping of Mississippi State. Braswell himself had scored a touchdown, and the vibes had turned since the Crimson Tide meandered toward the team buses a week earlier in Tampa following an unconvincing win over South Florida.

Yet, back in Starkville, even amid a celebration of UA’s first winning streak of 2023, Braswell shook his head. Alabama football was playing well. It could be better. The Tide isn’t done yet. On Tuesday, Braswell reflected on what the undefeated start in conference play has taught him:

“We’re a very strong and competitive team, no matter the circumstances. We strive to go out there and play to the Bama standard,” he said.

Yes, the Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) is in the driver’s seat of the SEC West and yes, it has a favorable matchup this weekend against Arkansas before hosting Tennessee. Yet, the Crimson Tide still ranks among the most penalized teams in the country (43) and one of the worst in sacks allowed (26).

Alabama is seeking improvements in every facet with many moving injured pieces, in the secondary and offensive line specifically, being managed. Braswell’s teammates on No. 10 Alabama, now winners of four in a row and three consecutive conference games, shared his sentiment.

“It’s not easy to win in the SEC. So every win means something,” right tackle JC Latham said. “It shows that as a unit, our offense is really resilient and we do what we’ve got to do to win, regardless of what we have to lean on or who we have to do it with. Guys have been hurt. Some guys couldn’t play because of injury, we got the job done. … So, just having a great defense like that to build confidence with and help the offense whenever we’re struggling is great. I think we’re trending in the right direction.”

The turn upward probably began in the aforementioned Sept. 16 game at USF. After a historic loss in Bryant-Denny Stadium to Texas and a horrid first-half follow, defensive stops gave the ground game a chance to pull away. That started a trend, with Alabama rallying to beat Ole Miss and A&M with second-half comebacks.

Another theme through the victories has been the pass rush getting home. Nineteen of UA’s 22 sacks have come in this four-game stretch. Star outside linebacker Dallas Turner began to finish quarterback hurries with each of his 6.5 sacks during Alabama’s run. Powerhouse offenses and capable college starters rarely looked comfortable when facing the Tide’s front.

The adapting element of Alabama’s impressive play has been its offense. The run-fist, big-play-sprinkled-in dynamism featured against the Rebels and the Bulldogs ceded to a pass-dominant gameplan against the Aggies. The Tide called 33 passes compared to 26 runs, the first time it opted to throw the ball more with Jalen Milroe. He handled the switch well, building chemistry with Jermaine Burton for two of his three touchdowns. Both also totaled career-highs in the rally — passing yards (321) for Milroe and catches (nine) for Burton.

As Latham explained: “I think it’s proving that we’re resilient. We’re capable of doing all we have to do to get the job done. In the last game, we really leaned a lot more on our passing strength and a lot of guys stepped up. … I know our receivers, and again, like in the Mississippi State game, we’re running the ball a lot and you’re not getting a lot of shine, but just understanding that those key blocks that you had played a part in the bigger role, so when it’s time for us to throw the ball again, be ready.

“The same goes into the situation like last week, playing A&M where we’re throwing the ball a lot, even those running backs aren’t getting the ball a whole lot. Those blocks, picking up linebackers and communicating with the O-line are a big deal, so it all plays a part in our success and we’re all bought into the system.”

The Razorbacks will be the next test at 11 a.m. on Oct. 14.

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].