Maybe this game will go for the entire allotted time.
Florida Atlantic had its turn in the Bryant-Denny disintegrator last week and that game was cancelled with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter, but the game really ended midway through the first quarter. Now it’s Southern Miss., who comes to Tuscaloosa as a 40-ish point underdog, which seems conservative if Alabama plays like it did last week.
Nothing keeps butts in the seats for the full game like a 50-point blowout in 90-degree heat and rain. But Nick Saban’s teams won’t have any trouble getting motivated for games like this, according to the coach.
During his press conference Wednesday, Saban cited motivational speaker and hip-hop preacher Eric Thomas who spoke to the team last month, encouraging them to harness their inner beast for the hard work that goes into a season.
“Everyone wants to be the beast until you have to do what the beast do,” Saban said. “When it gets hot outside and you have to practice in pads and take a lot of reps, you either have the beast mode or you don’t have it.”
Harnessing their own, less intense beast, Southern Miss is 1-1 this season. The Golden Eagles are one year removed from a highly successful 1-11 season in 2013, which is only a positive note because the team was 0-12 in 2012. At this rate, they’ll be 12-0 by 2025: College Football Playoff Golden Eagles.
For the second week in a row, this is a tuneup for Alabama; a way for the team to feel out the positions still not set and prepare itself for Florida and the SEC schedule coming next weekend. So far though, the quarterbacks both love each other — though the fans can’t decide who they like best — Amari Cooper is on pace to catch a dozen or more passes per game, and every running back on the depth chart could probably start.
Even with the QB battle still working itself out, the Alabama offense has been consistent and explosive so far this year, racking up yardage and points at a blistering pace. The defense, on the other hand, has been a reason for cringing among the Crimson Tide faithful, but it should improve, especially with the return of cornerback Eddie Jackson from injury and linebacker Trey DePriest from his “minor NCAA infraction.”
It will take DePriest, a defensive leader, another week or so to get back into true game shape, but he seems to recognize how much he was missed in the Crimson Tide’s first game against West Virginia.
“I wasn’t able to travel with the team but I watched the game and nobody seemed comfortable with Reuben [Foster] and Reggie [Ragland] making the calls,” DePriest said. “That’s not their fault, they’re young, they’re inexperienced. They ain’t ever been in the fire and played a fastball team so I don’t blame that on them at all. I already apologized to them for that. But the defense was real comfortable with me back there, being experienced.
“I’m back now and I’m able to help. I play a big role in the leadership of the team, and I have a good relationship with my defense and that’s really key.”
Fellow linebacker and starter Reggie Ragland said the defense needed DePriest and the motivation he supplies was missed.
“I was very comfortable to finally have the leader of the defense back out there,” Ragland said. “He was making sure everybody was getting to the ball, hustling and communicating.”
Saban said earlier in the week that Southern Miss operates its offense similarly to Texas A&M to give Alabama fans some perspective, but the Aggies have already won two games this season, something the Golden Eagles haven’t done for two years.
Alabama should cruise through this opponent and have plenty of opportunities to shuffle in its younger players to gain some experience. And maybe O.J. Howard actually gets a pass thrown his way. But the game will mostly serve as another chance for the starters on defense to work together and jell.
“We still got stuff to work on,” DePriest said. “We took the right step in establishing the identity that we want to establish but it’s not all the way there yet. We haven’t arrived.”
Alabama kicks off against Southern Miss from Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday at 5 p.m. Central on ESPN2. For the full slate of this weekend’s televised games, check out Yellowhammer’s comprehensive Week 3 guide.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @Jonathan_Biles
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