On Saturday afternoon, No. 10 Alabama (7-2, 4-2 SEC) will host Mercer (9-1, 6-1 SoCON) for just the fifth meeting between the two teams. The Crimson Tide have won the four other meetings, with the most recent a 48-14 win in 2021.
Here are a few things to watch for this Saturday as the Crimson Tide host Mercer.
Avoid the Rat Poison
Coming off a huge blowout victory at LSU last week, Alabama has found itself right back into the College Football Playoff conversation with an outside shot at making the SEC Conference Championship Game. The Crimson Tide have to take it one game at a time and take care of an under-skilled Mercer team.
Take Care of Business
Saturday’s game should be easy for the Crimson Tide. Ideally, Kalen DeBoer would like to see his team get off to a fast start with a sizable lead before halftime. This would allow the starters to get some rest, hopefully win and stay healthy. Alabama would also be able to develop some depth at key positions if the score allows the backups to get in for some quality minutes.
Que Robinson’s Replacement
With Alabama’s leading pass rusher going down to a season-ending injury against LSU we should find out on Saturday who is gonna replace Que Robinson. With the absence of Robinson, the Crimson Tide will likely look toward Qua Russaw to play the Wolf linebacker spot. Inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell could also see an increased role off the edge.
Deep Ball
Last week, Alabama got the quarterback-run game going with Milroe against LSU. Over the past couple of weeks, the explosive deep ball just hasn’t been there. Going into the final stretch of games, it would be nice for Jalen Milroe to get back in sync with his receivers and put the deep pass back on film for Alabama’s upcoming SEC opponents, Oklahoma and Auburn.
Keep the Quarterback Clean
Mercer may be an FCS team, but they are no pushover. The Bears are ranked number one in the FCS in sacks per game, as well as tackles for loss. The Crimson Tide offensive line has improved each week and will look to do more of the same against the Mercer pass rush. Alabama’s offensive line could be without a starter after Jaeden Roberts went down with a leg injury against LSU and did not return. DeBoer gave an injury update on Wednesday and said Roberts should be available in some capacity. If he can’t go, Geno VanDeMark will be tasked to help the offensive line keep Milroe off the grass.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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