'You Can Call Me Soft:' Hubbard Draws From Criticism To Fuel Massive Performance

The aftermath of Alabama's season-opening loss to Florida State brought about a firestorm of criticism of the Crimson Tide's entire roster and coaching staff from fans and analysts alike. Even with the barrage of disapproval, it was quickly apparent that no single person was being more relentlessly attacked than Bray Hubbard.

Hubbard was shelled for his lack of effort against the Seminoles, highlighted by a now-viral clip that shows the safety jogging on a Florida State touchdown. He described the reaction on social media following the loss as "pouring gas on a fire" earlier this week, and admitted that he was playing with motivation as a result of the incident.

Said motivation was evident in the Crimson Tide's 38-14 win over Wisconsin, as Hubbard picked off two passes in Alabama's dominant defensive outing.

"Obviously, it wasn't a great moment for him, and he took that to heart for sure," linebacker Deontae Lawson said, referring to the Florida State game. "You can tell in the way he's practiced throughout the week these last couple of weeks. It's just showing, and it showed up today."

Hubbard's first pick came on Alabama's second defensive drive of the game. Wisconsin took over on the Crimson Tide's 46-yard line after Alabama turned the ball over on downs. Badgers' quarterback Danny O'Neil misread the play and threw it right to Hubbard, who was able to react in time and grab the ball.

"When they throw it straight to you, that's the hardest one. Your eyes get big, and it starts going in slow motion," Hubbard said. "My eyes got real big because it was like, 'Oh my gosh, it's literally right at me.'"

His second interception came early in the third quarter, with the Badgers at Alabama's 21-yard line. Hubbard had just made a tackle on the play before, and was matched up in man coverage on tight end Lance Mason.

"The one in the red zone, the concept was STAR," Hubbard said. "We were in man and he tried to hit the seven-cut (a deep route that breaks to the outside) on me. Threw it outside, I kept my leverage, and that was it."

Hubbard also finished with five total tackles on the day. He was all over the field for Alabama in what was arguably the best performance of his career.

"That's the Bray I know," linebacker Qua Russaw said. "To see him fly around, have fun, smack people, that's Bray. I'm always excited to see him just play football, have fun, do what he does."

Alabama's defense has allowed just seven points (one of Wisconsin's touchdowns was on a kickoff return) and 357 total yards over its past two games after allowing the Seminoles to put up 31 points and 382 yards of offense in the season opener. The entire unit is playing with a newfound sense of urgency, in part spearheaded by Hubbard's response to the week one criticism.

"Bray's been a ballplayer," Lawson said. "You can tell he has a different mindset, different approach to practice, to meetings to all these things. Just let it loose on Saturday. That's all we talk about."

The past two weeks have been a refreshing return to normalcy for Hubbard, who was one of the most impressive players on Alabama's defense last year after taking over for an injured Keon Sabb midway through the season. The junior is fully aware that he still is not in the best standing with fans and media, but has embraced the scrutiny as fuel to prove himself. His message to those who still doubt him is simple.

"Say what you want, I don't care," Hubbard said. "At the end of the day, I go out every week and play my hardest. I did it today. You can call me soft. Your opinion is your opinion at the end of the day. I know how I play. It fires me up."

While Hubbard has made it clear he’s tuning out the outside noise, his teammates see his response as a sign of what’s still to come.

"I'm super proud of Bray," Lawson said. "I know he has more in the tank that he wants to show the world, and I'm sure he will do that."