SEC play starts early this year with the move to a nine-game league schedule. Alabama faces Kentucky on the road in Week 2, looking to get off to a 2-0 start and earn a nice SEC road win right off the bat.
Kentucky represents a step-up in competition from last week's game against East Carolina, and road games are always tricky. Alabama is 7-4 in true road games under Kalen DeBoer, but that includes a 2-4 mark in the first six. The Crimson Tide has won five in a row in true road contests, including last year's comeback win over Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff.
But Alabama had a more experienced quarterback a season ago. Ty Simpson was in his fourth season of college football, and while he was a first-time starter, road environments were not intimidating for him. Can the same be said for Keelon Russell making his first road start? That remains to be seen, and a young Tide offense will face a real challenge this weekend.
If Alabama is going to earn a win on the road, it's going to need players outside of the obvious to step up and make significant impacts. Let's take a look at three of them who could play pivotal roles this weekend:
1. RB EJ Crowell
I talked about it in this week's bold predictions, but I think the training wheels are going to fully come off this week for freshman sensation EJ Crowell. The coaching staff brought him along slowly against East Carolina in his debut last week. He only played 12 total snaps, but it should show you what they think of him by the fact that he touched the ball eight times in those 12 snaps.
Crowell is a dynamic playmaker, the likes of which Alabama hasn't had in the last few seasons in the backfield.
Kentucky will do a better job of defending the run than ECU did, but Crowell is the type of back who only needs a little space to create an explosive play with his contact balance and breakaway speed. I expect him to make that type of play this week, and he'll emerge from Week 2 as one of the focal points of the Crimson Tide's offense.
2. TE Marshall Pritchett
Ryan Grubb raved about Pritchett in the preseason, so it was a little surprising to see him only get two targets and not record a catch in last week's opener. Tight ends are clearly going to play pivotal roles for Alabama this year, and Grubb said a couple of weeks ago that it "starts with Pritchett."
He's the best pure receiver in the room, and he's come a long way as a blocker in year two. After being underutilized in Week 1, I expect Pritchett to have his breakout in Week 2.
Kentucky is going to try to heat Russell up with some simulated pressures while playing two- and three-deep to avoid getting burnt down the field, so Pritchett and others will need to be QB-friendly safety valves for Russell to get the ball out quickly.
3. LB Xavier Griffin
It was clear from the opener that Alabama really likes freshman LB Xavier Griffin. Facing a true dual-threat QB this week in Kenny Minchey, Griffin could see his role expand.
Griffin is already playing a versatile role, getting on the field in obvious passing situations as an extra rusher, while also logging some meaningful snaps as an off-ball linebacker in Week 1. He's the most athletic player for the Crimson Tide in the middle, and Kane Wommack could deploy him as a "spy" in matchups where Alabama faces the more athletic QBs on the schedule.
There are a lot of those to come in the future. This week against Minchey could offer a real opportunity for Griffin to make an impact in his first SEC game.
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