The beauty of college football is that on any given Saturday, anything can happen. You never know as a player when your number might be called, and when you might make a play or two that ultimately decides a game.
Every week during the season, we'll look to identify Alabama players who could be X-Factors for that week's game. True X-Factors - not guys like Ty Simpson or Ryan Williams. We already know those guys are vitally important to what Alabama wants to do week-to-week.
Instead, we're looking to identify guys who are more under the radar, but could ultimately prove to be massive difference makers on Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee against Florida State.
These 3 players could be X-Factors for Alabama against Florida State
TE Josh Cuevas
We wrote yesterday about how Alabama might look to attack Florida State's 3-3-5 defense. One of the main ways to attack that alignment is down the seams, which means that the Crimson Tide tight ends could prove to be vitally important to what Ryan Grubb wants to do offensively on Saturday.
Josh Cuevas will be taking on a much bigger workload in his second season with the Crimson Tide after transferring from Washington. Cuevas was the backup to CJ Dippre last season, but saw plenty of action. He caught 16 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown, flashing his athleticism and his ability to be a mismatch against certain coverages.
Cuevas has battled injuries this offseason, but looks to be ready to go for this weekend at Doak Campbell. The senior is likely going to be a big part of the game plan.
RB Daniel Hill
With Jam Miller out, Alabama is going to need one of the trio of running backs behind him on the depth chart to step up and shoulder the burden. That becomes doubly important with a weather forecast that currently points to significant rainfall during the game.
Ty Simpson's job was already going to be hard enough - making his first career start in a hostile road environment - but now you throw in inclement weather, and his path to success just got all the more difficult.
Richard Young will likely get the start at RB, and really, you could put Young, Hill, or Louisiana transfer Dre Washington here. But for my money, I lean toward Hill being the back that emerges in this game as a legitimate weapon in the Tide offense, with and without Miller.
Hill's size should help him earn the tough yards between the tackles that are always vitally important, but especially in rough conditions when yards and first downs could be at a premium.
LB Justin Jefferson
Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos is fast, elusive, and tough to grab hold of even in good weather and field conditions. Add in the rain, and he becomes extra slippery, making the job that much tougher for the Alabama defense, particularly against a unique Gus Malzahn scheme that will take advantage of his skills.
Senior LB Justin Jefferson is the most athletic guy in the middle of Alabama's defense. He has true sideline-to-sideline skills and will likely be tasked with "spying" Castellanos throughout the game. He was the best at tracking down running quarterbacks in the open field for the Tide's defense a year ago.
It will be a team effort to combat Castellanos, but Jefferson is likely going to find himself in a few one-on-one situations with the Florida State QB, and his ability to make the tackle in those moments could be the difference in Alabama's defense finding success or it being a long afternoon for Kane Wommack and his unit.