Alabama Football: What really matters this Saturday

Forget about stats for Alabama football’s next game

Last week, Alabama football proved that they are the best team in the country at this moment. They improved on defense, and Bryce Young looked just like a Heisman-winning quarterback. This was at a neutral site against a ranked opponent, but the Tide still aced their test.

This week, Alabama will face different circumstances. They will be playing at home against Mercer, an FCS team. This will be the first time Alabama has seen a fully-packed stadium since late in 2019. They’ll play against a unique offense that won’t be seen again this year.

You can always learn something from a game, but this week won’t prove whether or not Alabama football deserves to win a national championship. It won’t help them scout other offenses down the line. It will likely provide less experience than a scrimmage would.

Because of this, Alabama football should have only one goal this Saturday. They need to remain healthy.

In the past, Alabama has had seasons derailed by injuries. Tide fans can remember some of their favorite players going down and hurting Alabama’s chances of winning it all at the end of the year. Tua’s hip injury is on this list, but the Tide have also lost Kenyan Drake, Eddie Jackson, Ardarius Stewart and others to tough injuries.

This season, the Tide already have to replace Chris Allen. Alabama thankfully has depth at outside linebacker, but that can only do so much. Alabama is great, but they can’t keep replacing star players at key positions. If you lose a five-star talent in a game against Mercer, it will be hard to field quality teams against Florida and Texas A&M.

Expect the backups to see plenty of reps against Mercer. This game will be great for experience, but health must remain the top priority. Once the game is officially out of reach, Alabama football can pull the starters and focus on next week’s game against Florida.