Alabama Football: How weather could impact Saturday’s game

Could weather play a factor in Alabama football’s upcoming game vs. Ole Miss?

You would like to believe that outside factors have little to no impact on the outcome of a college football game. The team with more talent and discipline should simply overcome these issues on their way to a resounding win. However, Alabama football knows that it’s not always about what happens between the hash marks.

For starters, crowds can impact a game. With limited seating at sporting events, the Ole Miss crowd will have a stifling impact against the Crimson Tide. Timing and travel can also impact a game, but that will be limited in Oxford. However, there is still one outside factor that can play a pivotal role in the outcome of this week’s game.

Hurricane Delta will be crossing into Mississippi on game day, and it could bring some drastic weather with it. Missouri has already moved their game against LSU from Baton Rouge due to the weather. Assuming that Alabama still plays in Oxford, there will likely be some heavy rain and strong winds in the forecast.  

This can clearly have a major impact on the game plan for both teams. Ole Miss has a powerful running attack, but Lane Kiffin thrives on creativity in the passing game. If he could control how this game goes, he would get chaotic with some new passing plays. This weather will make it harder to complete any type of passes, so he might have to take a more conservative approach.

For Alabama football, this plays right into their hands. They have what it takes to win this game through the air or on the ground. If the conditions are too treacherous for Mac Jones to air the ball out down the field, expect Najee Harris to dominate and score multiple touchdowns.

The Ole Miss defense gave up 408 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns in their overtime win against Kentucky. This is partly due to Kentucky’s commitment to the run, but Alabama also has a superior back. Najee Harris is the best running back in the SEC, and he will likely feast if the rain starts impacting the game.

Harris has not yet lost a fumble in his entire college football career. If the ball gets slippery, that will matter. Alabama football can trust him to be safe with it, while Ole Miss might cough it up often in a sloppy game.

All in all, the most important part of the weather forecast is that everyone remains safe. Assuming that the teams can play and it will just be heavy rain, Alabama could see a change to their plans. However, they are built for it. If anything, the weather would boost Alabama’s odds of beating the Ole Miss Rebels