Alabama Football: Can Ole Miss pull off shocking upset in Week 3?
Alabama football is looking to make a statement with this SEC contest against Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide will look to avoid the upset on the road.
The Crimson Tide open up their SEC schedule with a road matchup against an always dangerous Ole Miss time that is in transition with a new head coach.
As the quarterback controversy surrounded the team all offseason, it is clear to see that Tua Tagovailoa is the starter going forward. Alabama’s offense has looked great in win’s over Louisville and Arkansas State and will look to continue the excellent play in this game.
Ole Miss had a dominating victory over Texas Tech in Week 1 and followed it up with a beatdown of Southern Illinois last week.
Those two defenses do not have anywhere near the talent of Alabama’s defensive roster, so this offense could be in for a lot of trouble even with the home crowd behind them.
What can we expect from this game? A lot of hard-hitting and a few excellent runs by Alabama’s stable of running backs.
Here’s where you can find all the viewing information for Alabama vs. Ole Miss this weekend:
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Date: September 15th
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Location: University,MS
Venue: Hemingway Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
For Alabama to come up with the road SEC win they will have to set up the running game early in the contest. Not only can Tagovailoa run the ball he has a number of excellent backs to get the ball to.
Najee Harris is one of the best backs in the SEC but he has gotten off to a slow start this season. He has 165 yards rushing and two touchdowns, but you would expect him to have those types of numbers in a single effort.
If Ole Miss is going to pull off the huge upset they will need to attack the Alabama secondary and keep their quarterback moving. The Crimson Tide defense has always had issues stopping mobile quarterbacks or quarterbacks with the ability to escape the pocket, so look for quick passes to the sidelines to negate the Bama pass rush.
If the offensive line can’t win the battles up front it will be a long day for the Rebels.
Betting Odds
Courtesy of OddsShark
Line: Alabama -21
Over/Under: 71
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Prediction
The first quarter will start slow for both teams, but Alabama will get the running game going. Harris should score in the first half and the defense will suffocate the Auburn offense. A 14-0 score at halftime wouldn’t shock me.
In the second half Saban will go for the jugular and unleash Tagovailoa and Alabama will have a three-touchdown third quarter. Ole Miss will get a cheap score late to get on the board but will be dominated throughout the contest.
Prediction: Alabama 42, Ole Miss 7