Justin Jefferson's Mindset when a Quarterback Tucks and Runs

The Crimson Tide linebacker has racked up 22 total tackles in his past two games.

Oct 4, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) is taken down by Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Justin Jefferson (10) during the first quarter at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— No. 8 Alabama football will be challenged in a variety of ways at No. 14 Missouri this weekend. One of those ways is in the rushing attack, which includes the quarterback. Crimson Tide linebacker Justin Jefferson doesn't want to get caught up in obsessing over that.

"It's nothing about what, really, they do. It's all about what we do," Jefferson said on Tuesday. "I feel like I practice against the best every day. When we have big games, and go on the road, and stuff like that, it's nothing really too much to handle. It's just another day in the office."

Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula is the next in a long line of quarterbacks Alabama has faced this season who are adept in the running game. Pribula has three rushing touchdowns this fall and ran for 72 yards in Missouri's win over South Carolina, the team's lone SEC contest.

The Crimson Tide(4-1, 2-0 SEC) has had to plan for opposing quarterbacks to use their legs in 2025. Last weekend against Vanderbilt, the defense held Diego Pavia to 58 yards, and Jefferson forced him to fumble in the red zone. That lines up with Jefferson's stated objective for when a signal caller makes a bid to run.

"Tucking and taking off? Murder, death, kill," Jefferson said Tuesday. "Murder, death, kill. We gotta go get him down. We gotta go try to knock the ball off of him, for sure."

Jefferson has had 22 total tackles combined in games at Georgia and against Vanderbilt. He recorded 14 tackles in the game opposite the Commodores, earning SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.

"Justin has a great feel for instinctive tracking. He can track the ball really well," Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. "He’s a very physical player. He's a very fast player... He can take space away from ball carriers."

Missouri (5-0, 1-0 SEC) also has one of the best running backs in the college game in the form of sophomore Ahmad Hardy. The defense's adjustments to Vanderbilt's runs, allowing only 20 yards over the game's final 45 minutes, will need to be maintained in Columbia.

"We do have, Coach Wommack, we do got our rules and what we have to do," Jefferson said. "Our rules as just a defense. You just gotta be locked into your job and just execute. Gotta execute every drive and be locked into what you got going... You gotta know what you gotta do at all times, especially when you have a mobile quarterback."

Alabama isn't just going to be getting it from the Tigers' offense. The fans at Faurot Field will be cheering for the Crimson Tide to lose its fourth road game in the regular season since Kalen DeBoer took over last year.

"It's very important to have everybody on the team," Jefferson said. "It's all of us against all of them. They outnumber us by a lot. If we... continue to press on, compete, with each other, we're gonna be fine."