Hello and Roll Tide!

Last Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Mercer Bears 52-7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Bears were outmatched as Alabama dominated, taking the starters out in the 3rd quarter. All scholarship players entered the game, notably all 4 quarterbacks. This provided Alabama with an opportunity to get young players experience while also allowing the starters some much needed rest after 6 conference games in a row. Alabama shifts their focus to Oklahoma as the Tide will travel to Norman to take on the Sooners. Alabama and Oklahoma have only played 6 times, the Sooners leading the series 3-2-1. Most recently, Alabama defeated the Sooners in the 2018 College Football Playoffs 45-34, advancing to the Championship game. Below are depth/injury notes, a week 12 review, week 13 preview, and week 13 storylines. Let’s go!

Depth/Injury Notes:

· 4-star running back Anthony Rogers decommitted from Alabama, narrowing his list to Georgia or Ohio State

· Alabama flipped 4-star safety Ivan Taylor, previously committed to the Michigan Wolverines

· This week’s injury report only lists the 3 players who are out for the season: Keon Sabb, Cole Adams, and Que Robinson

· Dylan Lonergan remains above Austin Mack as the 2nd backup

· Richard Young has cemented his role as the team’s 3rd running back

Week 12 Review: Mercer Bears

Offense: Alabama passed for 319 yards as receivers and tight ends ran open all afternoon against Mercer’s FCS secondary. Germie Bernard led the tide with 81 receiving yards and Josh Cuevas led the tight end group with 46. Robbie Ouzts got involved as he caught a 44-yard touchdown, early in the second quarter. The offensive line played well as they did not allow a sack. As well, their blocking allowed for Alabama backs to average 4.5 yards per carry. Rico Scott made an impact with the backups as he hauled in a 31-yard pass from Austin Mack. Richard Young found the endzone again as he’s shown a lot of promise in the backup running back role.

Defense: The defense was aggressive against the Bears as they forced 3 turnovers and 5 tackles for a loss. Qua Russaw made a circus catch for an interception off of a tipped ball by Deontae Lawson. The biggest highlight came in the 2nd quarter when DaShawn Jones forced a fumble and Zabien Brown returned it 68-yards for a touchdown. The only blemish on the day was allowing a 31-yard touchdown late in the 2nd. Mercer quarterback Whitt Newbauer delivered a perfectly placed ball to Kendall Harris who made a spectacular 1-handed catch. Alabama’s defense maintained great intensity all game, which they will need to display against a versatile Oklahoma Offense on Saturday.

Special Teams: Graham Nicholson made his only field goal attempt from 45-yards. James Burnip had an awful day, as his two punts totaled 49 yards. One of those netted only 20 yards. Both Jaylen Mbakwe and Ryan Williams returned punts.

Week 13 Preview: The Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma has had a difficult time adjusting to the SEC as they sport a 5-5 record, 1-5 in SEC play. Oklahoma is coming off of a bye, giving them extra prep for a tough test against Alabama. Brent Venables is in his 3rd year as the Head Coach of Oklahoma, previously serving as the Defensive Coordinator at Clemson from 2012-2021. He is familiar with Alabama as Clemson faced off against the Tide 4 times while he was the defensive coordinator. Oklahoma’s defense ranks 41st in the country allowing 21.6 points per game, and 24th in total yards per game (319.0). Where they’ve struggled is on the Offensive side of the ball. Oklahoma only scores 25.1 points per game, 90th nationally. Their passing attack averaging 183.3 yards per game ranks 115th in Division 1. Oklahoma uses 2 quarterbacks: Jackson Arnold in the pass game and Michael Hawkins in the run game. Jackson was the full-time starter, but their struggles on offense forced Venables to use both quarterbacks depending on the situation. Alabama will have to prepare for two different styles of attack. Kane Wommack noted that each quarterback seems to be asked to do the same things schematically, yet it appears that Hawkins resorts to running that ball more often than Jackson does. Oklahoma has been dealing with multiple injuries this season. The most recent SEC availability lists 8 players as OUT and 3 more either questionable or doubtful. Oklahoma’s offense has a difficult task ahead of them, as Alabama has only 1 touchdown in their last 2 SEC games.

Week 13 Storylines:

Will the Offense be able to maintain improvement on the road?: Both of Alabama’s losses have come on the road in conference play. The O-line had issues communicating in Knoxville, but showed significant improvement against LSU. Oklahoma fans will certainly be loud Saturday night in Gaylord Family Stadium as they host the playoff-hopeful Tide. Alabama must stay composed in a hostile environment to quiet this crowd.

Avoid the rat poison: As of right now, Alabama is expected to be in the College Football Playoff come December. The players know it, the coaches know it, and all of us fans do as well. It is almost impossible to avoid playoff talk anywhere you look. While the Tide are huge favorites to beat their remaining schedule, the team must make sure not to look ahead. Alabama’s next-play mentality will be necessary to take down a talented Oklahoma team on the road.

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Roll Tide!

-Jake