Alabama Football: Post-Spring game-by-game predictions for 2019

Alabama and Southern Miss used to have a genuine football rivalry, meeting on the gridiron nearly every season. The meetings between the two schools have happened a lot less frequently in recent years, however, with the 2019 edition being just the third time the two have faced off since 2005.

Jay Hopson has been solid in his three seasons in Hattiesburg, producing a 21-16 overall record and getting the Golden Eagles bowl eligible in all three of his seasons on the sideline. They didn’t receive an invite last season, but they won enough games to garner eligibility.

Hopson might have his best team yet in 2019, thanks in large part to the natural progression of his offense. Southern Miss ranked 99th in total offense a year ago, but it returns 94% of its offensive production, the highest mark in all of college football.

Rising junior quarterback Jack Abraham has the chance to be special. He struggled with turnovers, but he completed 73-percent of his passes as a sophomore. He’ll greatly benefit from the return of junior Quez Watkins, who is one of the C-USA’s best wide receivers. Watkins led the team with 889 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns last season.

If Southern Miss’s offense is going to take a step forward, it will need more production from its running game. Its two leading rushers – Trivenskey Mosley and Steven Anderson – return, but neither even cracked the 500-yard plateau in 2018.

The Golden Eagles should be a much improved team in 2019, and could very well be a sneaky threat to come out on top in the C-USA, but they have little chance to put up much of a fight in Tuscaloosa.

Pick: Alabama 52, Southern Miss 13

Record: 4-0 (1-0)