Even as Alabama celebrated a heart-stopping, 27-20 Iron Bowl victory, a pointed critique from a former NFL star forced one Crimson Tide receiver to publicly defend his teammate. Quarterback Ty Simpson and wide receiver Isaiah Horton were instrumental in keeping the Crimson Tides’ SEC Championship hopes alive. But sophomore Ryan Williams did not see much action, leading a certain longtime critic to question why. However, Horton came to the defense of his teammate.

Former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe invited Isaiah Horton onto his podcast to discuss the win at Jordan-Hare. During the conversation, Sharpe asked whether Ryan Williams was dealing with an injury, noting that the receiver kept going in and out of the game and hadn’t looked like the freshman All-American he was expected to be. Horton, however, shut down the speculation with a direct response.

“Yeah. No, Ryan’s fine, doing all right. He’s doing exceptionally, still working hard, and he’s fine. He’s doing well. And you know we’re going back home and ain’t nothing else to it.” Horton said on the November 30th episode of the show.

Sharpe has been a vocal critic of Ryan Williams for some time. After Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma in Week 12, he went off on the sophomore, saying Williams wasn’t even the best receiver on his own team, claiming Isaiah Horton and Germie Bernard were far better. Although Williams hasn’t fully replicated his freshman-year production, Sharpe’s remarks still come across as overly harsh. And Williams’ limited playing time against Auburn gave Sharpe yet another opportunity to question him.

Ryan Williams played 36 out of a possible 73 snaps during the Iron Bowl game. However, he was not found by Ty Simpson. It meant that he finished a game without a target since joining the Crimson Tide last season. Simpson’s main target on the night was Germie Bernard, who had three receptions for 24 yards. However, the MVP would be Isaiah Horton, whose three touchdowns helped Alabama secure an SEC Championship game.

After Auburn leveled the score at 20-20, Alabama was under a lot of pressure. On a 4th-and-2 from six yards, head coach Kalen DeBoer made the call to go for a touchdown rather than a field goal. That play turned out to be the break the Crimson Tide needed, as Simpson delivered a precise pass to Horton, who secured it under heavy defensive pressure for the game-winning touchdown.

However, the victory also served as a much-needed wake-up call for Alabama, which must avoid repeating the same lingering issues when it faces Georgia next weekend.

Isaiah Horton admits Alabama has to change its approach

A recurring issue for Alabama’s offense this season has been its slow starts. Against Auburn, the Crimson Tide failed to score on its first two drives and came away with zero first downs. Although they eventually built a 17-0 lead, those early struggles could become a real problem against an 11-1 Georgia team next week. Isaiah Horton explained how Alabama plans to approach the matchup with the Bulldogs during the podcast.

“Well, you can just expect us to be tough. I ain’t gonna lie. I mean, like, y’all can just expect us to come out with a lip with more. Start out fast for sure.” Horton told Sharpe.

The SEC Championship will guarantee a spot in the playoffs for the winner. With such a high-stakes matchup lined up, the Crimson Tide will have to bring out its best performance of the season. Alabama takes on the Georgia Bulldogs at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 6.