Alabama Football: Bold Predictions for second-half of 2020 season
By Ronald Evans
Alabama Football vs. Mississippi State Game
Nov. 1 Update: The Alabama Crimson Tide dominated Mike Leach and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 41-0.
The Pirate (Mike Leach) will have little up his Halloween costume sleeves that Nick Saban has not seen before. ‘The Air Raid’ has been around a long time and many coaches can be given credit for how it has evolved. Leach will gin up wrinkles enough to sporadically devil the still-learning Crimson Tide secondary.
It does not matter which quarterback Mike Leach chooses to start. The Tide will have to defend around 50 passes. Saban will likely mix some man coverage with zones. Other teams have shut down the Bulldogs, often by rushing three and dropping eight into coverage. The Bulldogs pass protection has been so poor, three rushers have been able to provide pressure. Saban/Golding will probably rush four. With Kylin Hill having shutdown his Bulldogs’ career and an unsettled quarterback situation, Leach does not have enough tricks.
The Alabama Crimson Tide wins easily.
Alabama Football vs. Open Date
The Crimson Tide gets some time to rest and make needed adjustments in the standard off-week before the LSU game. The timing might be propitious for the Alabama football defense. If new LSU QB, T.J. Finley torches Auburn as he did South Carolina, more prep time will be handy.