Alabama football faces the Fresno State Bulldogs in Week 2. Will the Crimson Tide show how dominant their defense is once again? Here’s how to watch.
The first-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide are a force to be reckoned with. That’s what the tenth-ranked Florida State Seminoles learned in their season-opening defeat 24-7 to Alabama. The Crimson Tide won handily thanks to the effort of their defense in Week One. In Week Two, it should be more of the same for them as they face the Fresno State Bulldogs.
The Alabama defense forced two interceptions and three sacks in the game. Linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton led the way with eight tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t have to do much in the season opener either. He threw a 53-yard touchdown to wide receiver Calvin Ridley early in the first quarter, but other than that, the defense did most of the heavy lifting. Hurts finished with 96 passing yards on 10-of-18 passing. Running back Damien Harris had nine carries for 73 rushing yards and a touchdown
The Fresno State Bulldogs pitched a shutout last week, but this week, they’ll need to focus on preventing one. The Bulldogs put up 66 points against Incarnate Word in their season opener. They scored in every quarter but the fourth in their first win of the season.
Quarterback Chason Virgil led the way on offense with 246 passing yards and a passing touchdown. Running back Ronnie Rivers had nine carries for 60 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Alabama vs. Fresno State game:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 9
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to victory
The Alabama Crimson Tide should get a whole lot more out of their offense this week against Fresno State. They had just 13 first downs and 269 total yards against a good Seminoles’ defense. The Bulldogs shouldn’t be much of a fight in the passing game so expect Hurts to play well in developing their receiving corps.
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Prediction
The Fresno State Bulldogs have the confidence from last week’s 66-0 shutout but the Crimson Tide are a different beast. Things could get ugly in all facets of the game as Alabama looks to return to the College Football Playoff. We’ll see some new stars emerge for the Crimson Tide this week on both sides of the ball.
Final Score: Alabama 38 – Fresno State 3