The No. 21 Missouri Tigers (6-1, 2-1 SEC) look to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive at the No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday in Tuscaloosa in what is essentially a CFP elimination games for both teams.
Kick-off on Saturday afternoon in set for 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC with Joe Tessitore (pxp), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Katie George (sideline reporter) on the call as Mizzou looks for the upset.
To get some perspective on how things are going for Alabama in Year 1 under Kalen DeBoer, we talked it over with Brent Taylor of Roll Bama Roll to preview this game.
Here’s the Q&A to get you ready:
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Sammy Stava: For the first time since 2007, Alabama has two losses before the month of November. What has gone wrong lately for the Crimson Tide in Year 1 under Kalen DeBoer – especially coming off the win over Georgia?
Brent Taylor: “Well, in the Vanderbilt game, Alabama just couldn’t figure out how to stop giving up 3rd and 4th down conversions. Many drives were extended by penalty, plus Vanderbilt figured out that the shovel pass and the QB boot totally flummoxed Alabama’s defense. Then in the Tennessee game, the Alabama defense mostly figured things out, but QB Jalen Milroe decided it was a good time to be wholly unable to accurately throw a ball to a receiver for the entire game. That’s not something that has really been the case for Milroe up until the last week, so I am assuming it was a one game thing, whether mental or a shadow injury or something. If not, that’s a season wrecker.
That said, there are three major recurring issues for this team – First- the penalties. It’s a staggering amount of penalties, and many are dumb procedural things. Alabama has given up TWO crucial 4th downs for opponent conversions by putting two players with the same jersey number on the punt return team. Second – Alabama lost their entire secondary this offseason, and the new secondary is made up of a Malachi Moore, a couple of transfers, and the rest are all true freshmen – both starters and backups. And that inexperience shows at times, as they definitely get beat. Third – the offensive tackles. Kadyn Proctor is all talent/size and 50/50 actual results at LT, and the two guys at RT, Elijah Pritchett and Wilkin Formby, have had some very bad games.
All that said, I don’t blame DeBoer and his staff for the secondary. That level of turnover is impossible to recover from in 5 games. And the penalties have been a major problem for Alabama in 2022-2023 as well, so that’s not new, either. I think all of the problems we are seeing this year were the same problems as a year ago – we just don’t have two 1st round veteran talents at cornerback erasing things anymore. For me, I think DeBoer still needs a full year to even turn over the team and get out of the lingering almost-retired-Saban issues and develop his own roster with strengths and problems.”
2. SS: With two losses so far, it’s obvious that Alabama’s room for error to make the College Football Playoff is zero. Based off what you have seen so far, is this team still capable of running the table and sneaking into the CFP with a record of 10-2?
BT: “Capable? Sure. When Jalen Milroe is on, Alabama’s offense is as impossible to stop as anything in the country. If he can do it consistently for 3 games after making the playoffs, then it’s game over for anyone else. And on defense, the Tide is very streaky. They’ll make a lot of excellent plays in a row, but once something goes bad, they tend to snowball. Again, youth. But if they can iron that out by the end of the season, then sure, I think they can hang with anyone.
There’s a LOT of “ifs” in that answer though, and it seems unlikely they all come to fruition.”
3. SS: After a strong start to the season, mistakes are starting to pile up for Jalen Milroe – as he’s thrown six interceptions with only five TD passes in his last four games. What are the reasons for his costly mistakes and how can he get back to the elite level that he was at last season?
BT: “I didn’t blame Milroe for the pick 6 against Vanderbilt. The DB hit the WR before the ball got there, and then the luck gods careened the ball way up into the air. Whatever. Against South Carolina, though, Milroe made some bad decisions. I think mostly due to the RT getting routinely smoked, but still. Then there was Tennessee – this one was weird. Milroe wasn’t making bad decisions or anything, he just threw absolutely terribly placed balls that could have been completed with a better throw. Is his confidence just utterly rattled? Is he nursing an undisclosed injury? Who knows, but he’s definitely been playing far below his ability the last two games (I’ll go to my grave saying he actually played really well against Vanderbilt, despite the loss).”
4. SS: Besides Milroe and freshman star WR Ryan Williams, who are some names on this Alabama offense that Mizzou fans need to keep an eye on? On the defensive side, starting safety Keon Sabb has been ruled out, so who will step up in his place?
BT: “WR Germie Bernard is exceptional, both as a route-runner and after the catch. He and Williams are pretty much the bulk of Alabama’s passing targets. Also watch for TE CJ Dippre – Milroe has been looking to him more and more lately, especially over the middle when teams blitz. Dippre is surprising nimble after the catch for a 250-lb man and is a 1st down monster.”
5. SS: Alabama currently comes in as a 13.5-point favorite in Tuscaloosa. How do you see this game going on Saturday? Do you have a final score prediction?
BT: “I think schematically, Alabama matches up well against Missouri on both sides of things. I also worry the Tigers are going to be pretty inept on offense if Noel and Cook are not playing. So as long as Jalen Milroe isn’t an utter disaster like he was against Tennessee, I think the Tide covers the spread early and easily. But again… If we get last week’s Milroe again, this is probably a 14-17 kind of game with a toss up on who wins.”
Thank you to Brent for answering our questions for us today. Follow him and Roll Bama Roll on X for all things Alabama coverage leading up to Saturday’s game.
