No. 1 Alabama has started the 2021 season undefeated with a 3-0 record. For most schools, that’s enough, but at Alabama, you are not just expected to win, you are expected to completely dominate.
As Alabama heads into week four, the question remains, can Alabama play a complete sixty-minute football game?
Southern Miss enters the contest with a 1-2 record. Let’s take a look at the Golden Eagles.
Southern Miss Preview:
Offensively, you are going to recognize one name, Frank Gore Jr., the starting running back for the Golden Eagles. Gore is the son of NFL running back Frank Gore. Gore is the playmaker for the Golden Eagle offense and if Alabama can limit explosive plays from Gore, the Tide should make quick work on defense.
At quarterback, the Golden Eagles have been inconsistent. Starter Trey Lowe is expected to miss with an injury. Lowe actually has a connection with the Tide. His grandfather Woodrow played linebacker for Alabama from 1972-75. He was a three-time All-American for the Crimson Tide.
Freshman Ty Keyes has stepped in for Lowe but has only completed 52.6% of his passes for just one touchdown and two interceptions. Keyes has also been sacked 10 times.
If there was ever a game that the Alabama defensive line should dominate, it’s this week against Southern Miss. Through three games the Southern Miss quarterbacks have been sacked 16 times.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles have been decent. But their competition hasn’t been the strongest.
Southern Miss has been stout against the run, giving up just 43.7 yards rushing per game, but as I mentioned, the competition has not been great. The Alabama offense should be able to move around the Golden Eagle defense with relative ease.
Alabama Preview:
We know all the stats for both sides of the ball for the Tide. So for the preview, let’s just look at what I believe we need to see from Alabama on Saturday.
The Alabama offensive line needs to play mistake-free football and consistently push around the Southern Miss defensive front. The running game needs to be a focal point and it needs to be explosive. Bryce Young needs to be more consistent on the deep ball and the wideouts need to create more separation and cut down on dropped passes. Overall the offense needs to play a complete game for the entire sixty minutes.
It is much of the same for the Alabama defense. The guys up front need to penetrate consistently and make plays in the backfield. The linebackers need to fill the proper lanes and make the tackle. The secondary needs to take proper angles and like the linebackers, make the tackle.
There is too much talent on the Alabama defense to not play better than what they did this past Saturday. Let’s see if they can regroup and get better.
Overall Thoughts:
It’s really simple for Alabama this weekend, play a complete sixty-minute football game with the same intensity and focus from start to finish.
I believe Alabama will prove they have what it takes to be a championship football team. The talent is there, let’s see if the leadership and intangibles are there too.
Score Prediction: Alabama 56 Southern Miss 7
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