Alabama Football: What to expect in Oxford, MS tonight

Alabama football will battle Ole Miss and the weather Saturday night in Oxford, MS. What Tide fans can expect.

The best Saturday news for Alabama football is the weather is improving. A weakened Hurricane Delta will no longer arrive over Oxford as a Tropical Storm. It will just be the remnants of a Tropical Depression. The Alabama football team practicing with wet footballs this past week will still be beneficial.

Rain is expected throughout the day in Oxford. The rain will not end before the kickoff at 6:30 PM CST. It could continue throughout the entire game. No thunderstorms are expected and heavy rain is expected to end in Oxford in the early afternoon. Predicted wind strengths are less than 10 miles per hour during the game. Oxford, MS Hourly Forecast

Across Mississippi and other southern states, there are flash flood warnings and many areas have experienced power outages. Unlike hard-hit Louisiana, at mid-morning, less than 75,000 outages impacted the state of Mississippi. It is not known if Mr. ‘Have A Plan For Everything’, Nick Saban will have a plan to play in the dark in case of an Oxford blackout. Seriously, Vaught-Hemingway should have enough lighting, powered by generators, to get through any outage.

Early in the week, we discussed disruptive weather could be an advantage for Lane Kiffin. Receivers are able to navigate a wet field better than defenders because they know where they are going. But, receivers on both teams will benefit. Our earlier point is Lane cab use weather conditions as an excuse to explain a one-sided loss to Nick Saban. A loss that will drive Nick’s record against his former assistants to 21-0.

Playing in bad weather can have a significant impact on a game, including the outcome. It is usually something of an equalizer. The gap between the two teams is so large, it is hard to imagine any chance of an Ole Miss upset.

Both teams would have their passing games challenged had the wind forecast not changed. There may still be a few wind gusts to affect the flight of the ball, but the wind should not be a serious problem. The same can be said for the kicking game.

Check back with Bama Hammer for our in-depth, post-game coverage of the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Ole Miss.