On Saturday afternoon, No. 15 Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC) will host No. 21 Missouri (6-1. 2-1 SEC) for homecoming in just the eighth meeting between the two teams.
The Crimson Tide will be looking to bounce back after suffering a loss to Tennessee last week.
Here are a few things to watch for this Saturday as the Crimson Tide host Missouri for homecoming.
Responding to a Loss
How will Alabama respond after taking its second loss of the season? The Tide's goals are still achievable, but they have very little room for error the rest of the season. Saturday’s game will be the tone-setter for the remainder of the season. If Alabama comes out and puts together a dominant performance, then anything is possible with this team. If they come out sloppy and lose or even get a close win, Alabama fans will be wishing for basketball season to get here.
Play Disciplined
On most Saturdays, Alabama takes the field with more talent than their opponent, and this week will be no different. Their biggest enemy is usually themselves. Playing clean, disciplined football will turn the losses and close games into the blowout wins that Alabama expects. Protecting the football and cutting back on penalties will be key to winning on Saturday.
Banged Up Secondary
The secondary was already young and inexperienced, but it just got even more inexperienced after losing one of its starting safeties, Keon Sabb. Sophomore Bray Hubbard will likely get the nod for his first career start. Hubbard may lack experience, but as a former high school quarterback, he carries an inside knowledge of dissecting an offense from a quarterback’s point of view.
Running Backs
Will this be the week Alabama finally lets Jam Miller and Justice Haynes make an impact in the running game? One of the positives of having more talent than your opponent is being able to dominate the line of scrimmage. The Crimson Tide have an outstanding line, and this is the week to let them shine in the running game. Look for Alabama to run the ball to soften up the secondary and then hit them with the deep ball.
Defending the Pass
This young and inexperienced secondary will have its hands full on Saturday. It’s trending that Missouri will be without its starting quarterback, but it has plenty of talent on the outside. The duo of Luther Burden and Theo Wease will be hard to stop, but slowing them down should be good enough. Dialing up pressure should help the secondary, limiting the amount of time they will have to stick with their receiver.
Kickoff time has been set for 2:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ABC.
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