Alabama Football: Three Keys Needed For Dominating Missouri
By Ronald Moody
Second-ranked Alabama football heads to Faurot Field Saturday night to take on the Missouri Tigers. The Crimson Tide seeks to dominate its first opponent.
Alabama football missing the College Football Playoff for the first time since its inception proved the Crimson Tide lost its way. Mounting injuries, an inconsistent defense, and losing a focused Tua Tagovailoa to injury in the closing games slammed the door for another championship run.
Head coach Nick Saban recognizes the chance to win his seventh title is razor-thin. Luckily, he boasts one of his most talented teams since arriving in Tuscaloosa. Dominating the competition early is key to returning to the top of the college football world.
Below are three keys Alabama needs to dominate Missouri:
1. Dominant the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball
The best offensive line in college football belongs to Alabama football, hands down.
A finalist for the coveted Joe Moore Award last fall, the line returns four starters. The starter who departed, Jedrick Wills, became the second offensive tackle taken in the 2020 NFL Draft. Coach Kyle Flood transformed this unit into a significant strength for the Tide.
The average weight for the Alabama offensive line is a meaty 334 pounds. Hulking senior six foot six tackle Alex Leatherwood anchors the left side covering Mac Jones’ blindside. Landon Dickerson, Deonte Brown, Evan Neal, and Emil Ekiyor round out the remaining spots.
Keeping Jones upright and creating massive holes for Najee Harris and company is a nanoscopic task for this deadly unit.
On the other side of the ball, the Crimson Tide defensive line depth is obnoxiously well built. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding possesses eight to ten linemen who can effectively stop the run and pursue the quarterback, starting with LaBryan Ray, DJ Dale, and Justin Eboigbe.
One unassailable strength for the 2015 championship team was the great depth of the defensive line unit and its ability to rotate without missing a beat successfully. If Alabama can duplicate its past success, Missouri can expect a dreadful butt whipping.