Alabama football begins revenge tour against Duke in Atlanta
Alabama Football kicks off its 2019 season in Atlanta against Duke as it looks to re-establish the “Alabama factor” after the bitter end to last season.
Questions abounded all offseason about whether Alabama Football’s dynasty was now over following the shellacking it took in Santa Clara to Clemson in the national championship game.
Nick Saban spent the offseason revamping his staff and preaching about the “Alabama factor” and his excitement to getting that reestablished from the top down. All the right things have been said, but can the Crimson Tide overcome some key losses from last season, and so far in training camp, to climb the mountaintop once again?
Star linebacker Dylan Moses tore his ACL in practice this week and will miss the entire 2019 season, a devastating blow to Alabama’s already thin group of linebackers. Senior linebacker Joshua McMillon was already lost for the season with an injury, so the Tide will be prepared to start a pair of true freshmen — Christian Harris and Shane Lee — at inside linebacker on Saturday afternoon.
The onus could be on Tua Tagovailoa and the Alabama offense to put up points in bunches throughout the season with the Tide’s young defense needing time to grow into roles.
Alabama could also be without a few other key players for at least part of this game, with rumored suspensions for Najee Harris, Brian Robinson, Terrell Lewis, and Devonta Smith due to missing a team activity.
As for Duke, the Blue Devils have to feel disrespected coming into this matchup as there’s been no talk of a potential upset. It’s been all about how much Alabama would win by. They also have to be irritated by the fact that Alabama has been derided for even having the audacity to play a team as lowly as the Blue Devils. How quickly everyone forgets that Duke is coming off of an eight-win season in 2018, with enough returning talent to once again push for a similar showing this year.
This game may have had a little more intrigue if Daniel Jones hadn’t forgone his final season of eligibility for the NFL Draft, but Quentin Harris is the type of dual-threat quarterback who could give a young defense a lot of problems.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday afternoon’s between the Crimson Tide and Blue Devils:
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Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
If Alabama’s top two running backs — Harris and Robinson — are truly suspended for the first half of the game, then Tagovailoa may be forced to air the ball out a bit more than would likely be preferable for the type of balance Saban likes to see on offense. It also means that inexperienced backs like redshirt freshman Jerome Ford and true freshman Keilan Robinson will be tasked with getting important carries and holding up in pass protection.
Are they up for the task? A couple of key mistakes by them could be it all it takes to make this game closer than it should be and provide Duke with enough confidence that they could to the unthinkable.
David Cutcliffe will undoubtedly look to do what he can to test the middle of Alabama’s defense. Along with two true freshmen inside linebackers, Alabama is also expected to start a true freshman at nose tackle in DJ Dale. As talented as these guys are, that’s still a lot of youth in the heart of the Tide’s defense, and Cutcliffe is a savvy enough offensive mind to take advantage of the inexperience.
Look for Cutcliffe to challenge the middle with slant routes and crossing patterns, as well as some designed quarterback runs with Harris.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of Bovada
Point Spread: Alabama -33.5
Over/Under: 57
College Football 2019: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 1. dark. Next
Prediction
Even with all the factors working against Alabama from the injuries to the suspensions, the Tide should still be far too much for Duke to overcome. Don’t be surprised if the Blue Devils hit some plays and score some points offensively, but I also expect a big afternoon from Tagovailoa and a deep group of receivers. Look for a big early connection from Tua to Jerry Jeudy to get the game started, and for Alabama to ultimately roll to open the season.
Final Score: Alabama 55, Duke 21