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Alabama Football: The Tide’s Checklist for the Kent State Game

By Chris Hale

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Ryan Anderson (22) reacts during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Ryan Anderson (22) reacts during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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In a game where Alabama football is a massive favorite, here are some of the key things to get accomplished on Saturday against Kent State.

ICYMI: Alabama Crimson Tide—2016 Football’s Lost And Found

Gather around, Alabama football fans. We are going to talk about something that Coach Nick Saban does not need to know and that’s the Kent State game.

There’s not a single person in the country that doesn’t know the likely outcome of the game. Our co-expert, Meredith, has even taken the guess-work out of it and came up with some things that will assure the Golden Flashes a win. One of them even features yours truly.

Going into Saturday, the Crimson Tide is listed as the 44-point favorite according to Top Bet. With that said, what are some things Alabama needs to check off on their checklist before the clock hits zero?

Get Jalen Hurts Some More Experience

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) throws a pass during the second quarter of the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) throws a pass during the second quarter of the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

In what will be just his fourth game wearing the Alabama football jersey, those extra snaps against an easier team will be invaluable for the Tide’s young starter. No one is saying he isn’t good. As a matter of fact, Hurts did a lot of growing up this past Saturday against the Rebels. When Alabama was down 24-3, I didn’t know if Hurts had it in him to lead a big comeback just yet. He proved me wrong. Big time. All he needs is more experience to become more poised than he already is and to spend some more time working on his long throws. Some of those are still being overthrown or coming up a bit short. Nothing major but against Kent State, it will be a great time to improve on an already impressive player.

Play the Younger Guys to Get More Snaps

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That’s one of the big advantages of playing these games. I know fans don’t get too excited for these but you can bet the coaches do. There are many highly recruited players sitting on the Alabama bench that’s only one play away from seeing major playing time. Get the game out of reach and get those guys some on the field experience. It will come in handy for depth reasons after playing the SEC grind starts to add up and the game won’t seem as fast next season when it’s their time to shine.

Head to the Locker Room with No Injuries

This one goes without saying. All the coaching staff wants to do is to see some improvement on the field and to walk off the field with no injuries for next week. Alabama has more depth than most teams but that goes back to the previous point. Those younger players need that experience in case they are thrown in the fire if disaster strikes.

Give the Offensive Line More Time to Gel

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; General view of the Alabama Crimson Tide offense and USC Trojans defense during the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; General view of the Alabama Crimson Tide offense and USC Trojans defense during the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

For the time being, Alabama’s offensive line from Saturday remains set. From left to right: Cam Robinson, Ross Pierschbacher, Bradley Bozeman, Alphonse Taylor, and Jonah Williams. There had been some shuffling around while Taylor was suspended. Against the Rebels, the line played better than in the previous games but still made some unnecessary mistakes. More snaps together in that configuration will help get the cohesiveness up between the group as the tougher games get closer on the schedule.

Next: Discussing the Crimson Tide on the Bama Hammer Podcast, Episode 6

Let’s get the win that just about everyone is expecting and move on to the next week. Roll Tide, y’all!

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