Alabama comes into week 2 after beating Louisville 51-14. Here the Tide’s 5 keys to the game.
I. Give both quarterbacks equal amount of playing time.
Alabama is probably going to win anyway, so why not give both Tua and Jalen time to gain confidence and momentum. By the way, that doesn’t just mean to let them have their own drives, it also means to try some trick plays where both QBs are on the field.
II. Figure out a way to stop Justice Hansen.
Hansen threw 6 touchdowns in their season opener against Southeast Missouri State and 423 yards. The running game for Arkansas State didn’t score any touchdowns in the opener. If Alabama can shut down Hansen then they will be forced to run. That would be good because 1, it doesn’t look like Arkansas State’s running game is that good based on their stats, and 2, Alabama is very good at defending the run game, making it unlikely that Arkansas State would get much of anywhere on the ground.
III. This game has a good chance of being a blow out, so get everybody involved.
This game will probably ended up being a game where backups play most of the second half, maybe even some in the first. So let Brian Robinson play, a backup running back, let Mac Jones, Alabama’s backup quarterback, throw some passes. This game should be mainly about giving backups playing time so that if they end up playing in bigger games, they’ll know what to do.
IV. Keep them out of the double digits.
It would be a great momentum builder if Alabama could hold Arkansas State to less than 10 points. In this game I want to see players like Patrick Surtain Jr., Eyabi Anoma, Saivon Smith and other people who haven’t proved themselves yet come up big.
V. Kick 100% on field goals.
Last game, Alabama’s kick Austin Jones missed an extra point and a 27-yard field goal. The #1 team in the nation should have a kicker that can do better than that. I think that if Austin jones wants to stay on the team, he’s going to need to prove that he can make all the field goals he kicks. And he needs to do that now.
If Alabama does these things then my prediction is a 59-3 win.
Arkansas State comes into this game as an underdog. Here is the 5 keys for them to pull of the upset.
I. Contain Jerry Jeudy.
If Arkansas State wants a chance to win, then they have to contain Alabama’s new top WR, Jerry Jeudy. Jerry Jeudy caught 4 passes against Lousiville for 64-yards and 2 touchdowns.
II. Stop the run game.
Everything that I’m writing for Arkansas State is a must. Because, let’s face it, they have to play perfectly to beat Alabama. If they can shut down the Tide’s run game, then they can easily knock off the rest of the offense.
III. Use all the offense weapons.
Get Justice Hansen time to throw, put in Logan Bonner, another Arkansas State QB, get the run game going, and most importantly, don’t back off.
IV. Don’t let Alabama return punts or kickoffs.
Alabama returned a kickoff for a touchdown and also had a couple of other good returns both on kickoffs and punts. My point is, Alabama scores enough points on the offense, Arkansas State can’t afford giving up any returning touchdowns.
V. Keep the defense guesing
1 big problem for teams playing against Alabama is that the Tide learns their system quickly. If Arkansas can confuse the defense then they might be able to win.
If Arkansas State does all these things then my prediction is a 15-3 win.
photo by: Phillip Hendon
