Alabama’s quest to repeat as national champions begins Saturday as it takes on Miami at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Crimson Tide is currently a 19.5-point favorite over the Hurricanes, according to VegasInsider.com. Here are five things to watch heading into the matchup.
Saban still looking for more out of Billingsley
Jahleel Billingsley doesn’t seem to be out of the doghouse just yet. The tight end has been one of the major talking points surrounding Alabama’s fall camp as Saban has brought up his reluctance to buy into the program multiple times.Saban was asked about Billingsley during Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. Based on the head coach’s response, it appears the team is still working on straightening things out with its star tight end.
“We’re just trying to get Jahleel to be a responsible, disciplined person, as well as a responsible, disciplined player,” Saban said. “He’s certainly a very talented guy, and we have high hopes for how he can contribute to the team. But how that happens is sort of up to him and his choice.”
Billingsley is coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he recorded 18 receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns. The former four-star recruit was expected to lead the tight ends unit this year but is currently behind Cameron Latu on Alabama’s official depth chart.
Latu, a converted outside linebacker, has yet to record a reception at the college level but put together a stellar offseason, reeling in five touchdowns over the Tide’s five scrimmages.
“Cameron’s done a really good job,” Saban said. “He’s made a lot of progress. Anytime you move a guy to a new position, I think it’s a little bit of a work in progress for them to sort of develop the confidence in knowing what to do, how to do it, why it’s important to do it that way. But he’s had a really good fall camp and is doing a really good job for us at that position.”
When you come at the King, you best not miss
Alabama has been a bit fortunate in recent non-conference season openers, facing teams fresh off of losing their star quarterbacks. In 2019, the Tide trampled a Duke team in its first game without first-round pick Daniel Jones behind center. The year before that, Alabama dismantled a Louisville team that had just bid farewell to Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.This season, the Tide won’t be so lucky as it goes up against Miami quarterback D’Eriq King. During his first season with the Hurricanes last year, the Houston transfer completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 2,686 yards and 23 touchdowns with five interceptions while adding another 538 yards and four scores on the ground over 11 games. King suffered an ACL injury during last year’s Cheez-It Bowl but is expected to be fully available for Saturday’s opener.
“It’s rare that you see a quarterback that can run as great as he can and can pass and control the game,” outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. said. “I think it’s gonna be a good challenge for us, and we’re ready.”
King’s dual-threat ability figures to be a challenge even for a defense as athletic as Alabama’s. Earlier this week, Saban spoke about the importance of team speed on defense as the Tide looks to limit King and Miami’s spread attack.
“He executes their offense extremely well,” Saban said. “He’s very comfortable in how he manages the game for them. He gets them in plays that have a great chance to be successful for them. And he’s a good decision-maker, whether it’s the RPOs, the bubbles, the smokes, the plays that they run that complement the running game. So I think this guy presents lots of issues because he’s a great player and a great athlete and he’s a great quarterback all rolled in one.”
An end of an era
Since the 2008 season, Alabama has played in 10 neutral-site openers. Squaring off in Atlanta, Arlington, Texas or Orlando, Fla., the Tide has feasted on the marque matchups, posting a 10-0 record while outscoring its opponents by a combined 381-128.Alabama will look to continue that success when it lines up against Miami inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. However, this weekend’s game marks the end of an era as far as the Tide’s scheduling is concerned.
In an attempt to bring more value to season-ticket holders, Alabama has scheduled several home-and-home matchups with Power 5 opponents in upcoming years. While that figures to bring notable games to Bryant-Denny Stadium, the days of Alabama opening up in professional stadiums seem to be over for now.
That being said, Tide players are looking to make the most of the experience one last time on Saturday.
“I think it’s really cool whenever you get a chance to play on a big stage in a neutral site like Atlanta in a really nice stadium — a great venue for football,” offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor said. “So it’s really exciting to have a chance to play in places like that.”
Could crowd noise be an issue?
After playing in front of a limited audience last season, Alabama will once again hear the roar of a full-capacity crowd Saturday as Mercedes-Benz Stadium will open its overflow seating sections to accommodate 75,000 fans. That could take some getting used to for Tide players who might have forgotten how loud it can get on the field.“I think any time you’re playing when you’re a player, crowd noise does make a difference in the game, which we didn’t have to deal with a whole lot a year ago,” Saban said. “So a lot of the players that played last year, they’ll have to get reacclimated to that. But I think being able to communicate with hand signals and not as much relying on verbal communication is always very important.”
Saban said Alabama practiced with crowd noise inside its indoor practice facility Wednesday and will do the same Thursday. Although, while Saturday’s decibel level might be a bit unsettling to some at first, Tide players don’t seem too concerned about the potential distraction.
“I think always having fans at the game is pretty important especially on defense,” linebacker Christian Harris said. “Getting a little crowd noise in there can affect the offense a little bit. At the same time, like I’ve said before, it’s an opportunity for us to go out there and compete and sort of show what we can do. Regardless if there is a lot of fans or not a lot of fans — if they’re making an impact or not — we have to execute whatever the game plan is that coach gives us and I think if we do that we’ll be all right.”
A battle at backup QB
Bryce Young stands alone atop the quarterback position on Alabama’s depth chart. However, the Tide will still have a battle behind center this season.While redshirt sophomore Paul Tyson is currently listed as the team’s backup behind Young, Saban announced Wednesday that freshman Jalen Milroe is still in contention for the role moving forward.
“I think both those guys are in competition for the position,” Saban said. “Paul’s done a nice job. He’s got a good understanding of the offense. He’s very bright. And Jalen is a young player who’s still learning the offense but a very talented guy. Both guys are working hard, and both guys are doing a good job. Hopefully, they’ll continue to progress and hopefully, we’ll be able to get them some experience somewhere along the line, as well.”
Tyson, the great-grandson of legendary Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, joined the Tide as the No. 10 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class. Milroe, who arrived at Alabama as an early enrollee in January, was the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback and No. 77 overall player in this year’s class.
If Alabama is able to cover the three-score betting line against Miami, the Tide could be in a position to play its reserve quarterbacks on Saturday. If not, the duo figures to see the field next week when Alabama hosts Mercer inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium.
