After sleepwalking through parts of a sloppy home-opening win over Mercer last week, No. 1 Alabama will be on full alert as it travels to No. 11 Florida to open SEC play. The Crimson Tide is currently a 14.5-point favorite over the Gators, according to VegasInsider.com. Saturday’s kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally on CBS.
Here are five things to watch heading into the matchup.
During his radio show last week, Nick Saban referred to JoJo Earle as “Waddle-like.” Over the weekend, the freshman receiver backed up that praise, tallying a team-high seven receptions for 85 yards while averaging 23 yards on two punt returns.
While it still might be a bit early to expect Earle to match the production of first-round pick Jaylen Waddle, the freshman has already displayed a professional approach at Alabama.
Despite joining the team over the summer, Earle has already become a big part of the Tide’s offense. The former Rivals100 recruit is listed as a co-starter at the slot receiver position and currently ranks third on the team with nine receptions for 110 yards over two games.
“You can always tell how someone attacks the time away before we start practicing,” quarterback Bryce Young said. “He came into the first practice with good knowledge of the playbook. You can tell he was studying. That’s something that really caught my eye and a lot of people’s eyes. And then when you get out there and you get to rep against our defense, when we started practicing, he was making plays and he looked really good.
“JoJo’s someone that we’re all really excited about. We’re excited to see how he develops.”
Earle will look to provide an encore performance this week against a Florida secondary that ranks 10th in the SEC allowing 224.5 yards per game through the air.
Alabama’s new starting quarterback is no longer a stranger to starting games on the big stage. However, Young is in for a different type of beast this weekend as he makes his first road start during the Tide’s trip to The Swamp this weekend.
Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium has a capacity of 88,548 fans. While Young performed exceptionally well in front of a crowd of 71,829 fans inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier this month, it’s a lot different when that noise is aimed directly at you behind enemy lines.
“We know the challenges that are in front of us this weekend,” Young said. “We know how hostile the environment’s gonna be. For me and really for everyone on the team, it’s something that Coach is gonna prepare for, something that we’re not taking lightly at all.”
Alabama prepares for away crowds by blaring the speakers inside of its indoor facility during practice. Young says those workouts will be crucial in getting the offense acclimated to communication amidst adverse conditions.
“Us all on offense and us as a team, being on the same page is gonna be really big for us,” Young said. “We’re gonna make sure we’re communicating well, make sure that through the week that we’re getting the reps we need to get so we’re prepared for Saturday. That’s something that’s gonna come and develop and something we’re really gonna be emphasizing this week.”
Richardson suffered a hamstring injury during last week’s game against South Florida but has “done fine” in practice this week, according to Florida head coach Dan Mullen. If healthy, the 6-foot-4, 236 pounder figures to split time with Jones against Alabama.
Through two games, Jones has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions while adding another 155 yards and a score on the ground. Richardson has completed 6 of 11 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
“I think both quarterbacks have played extremely well for them,” Saban said during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “Emory Jones is a very capable guy. He’s a good runner, he’s a good passer. Both are very athletic. Anthony Richardson has made some phenomenal plays when he’s played running and passing. He’s definitely a big, strong running back-type guy when he does carry the ball, and they’ve got some really good quarterback runs to feature that talent. But he’s also showed a lot of poise and presence in the passing game.
“So I think both guys are unique in their ability to play the position, and both have been very productive when they’ve had opportunities to play.”
Alabama currently finds itself in the top 10 of an unenviable stat. A lack of discipline has seen the Tide give up an average of 88 yards per game in penalties as it has been flagged 17 times over the past two weeks. Nine of those flags came against Mercer resulting in 95 yards — a display Saban described as “ridiculous.”
“There's a lot of good things in the game,” Saban said Monday, “but I think consistency in performance is what we really need to work on in terms of maintaining consistency, staying focused, playing with more discipline, eliminating penalties and poor full-speed decisions that are resulting in penalties.”
Fortunately for Alabama, Florida is also struggling with penalties this season. The Gators have been flagged 13 times for 136 yards over their two games. Still, the Tide can’t afford to make life any more difficult for itself as it faces its biggest challenge to date this season.
Saturday’s matchup marks Alabama’s first road game of the season, but for several of the Tide’s players, the trip to The Swamp will serve as a homecoming. Alabama’s roster features 17 Florida natives, including several notable stars.
On offense, Okeechobee native Evan Neal will block for former IMG Academy teammate and Port Saint Joe native Trey Sanders. The Tide’s defense features plenty of South Florida talent, including Miami native Josh Jobe at cornerback as well as safeties Jordan Battle and Daniel Wright and outside linebacker Dallas Turner, who all hail from Fort Lauderdale. Defensive tackle Tim Smith, a Sebastian native, also saw a career-high 36 snaps against Mercer last week.
“I am very excited,” Battle said of the trip back to his home state. “Going to The Swamp is always something a kid dreams of while playing in the SEC. The Swamp is probably one of the greatest stadiums in history. It’s going to be fun playing there. Growing up as a kid, as a recruit going to their games, seeing how hyped they were, it’s going to be a great experience.”
Alabama has traveled to the state of Florida four times over the past three seasons. In 2018, the Tide opened up against Louisville for the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando before facing Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in Miami as part of the College Football Playoff. The following season, Alabama returned to Orlando to face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. The Tide’s most recent trip to the Sunshine State occurred earlier this year as it beat Ohio State in last season’s national championship game in Miami.
During the Saban era, Alabama is 7-2 in games played in the state of Florida. The Tide’s last loss in the state came against Clemson during the 2017 national championship game played in Tampa.
This week will mark Alabama’s first trip to Gainsville since 2011 when the Tide beat the Gators 38-10. Alabama is 8-2 against Florida in games played inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Here are five things to watch heading into the matchup.
An Earle encore?
During his radio show last week, Nick Saban referred to JoJo Earle as “Waddle-like.” Over the weekend, the freshman receiver backed up that praise, tallying a team-high seven receptions for 85 yards while averaging 23 yards on two punt returns.
While it still might be a bit early to expect Earle to match the production of first-round pick Jaylen Waddle, the freshman has already displayed a professional approach at Alabama.
Despite joining the team over the summer, Earle has already become a big part of the Tide’s offense. The former Rivals100 recruit is listed as a co-starter at the slot receiver position and currently ranks third on the team with nine receptions for 110 yards over two games.
“You can always tell how someone attacks the time away before we start practicing,” quarterback Bryce Young said. “He came into the first practice with good knowledge of the playbook. You can tell he was studying. That’s something that really caught my eye and a lot of people’s eyes. And then when you get out there and you get to rep against our defense, when we started practicing, he was making plays and he looked really good.
“JoJo’s someone that we’re all really excited about. We’re excited to see how he develops.”
Earle will look to provide an encore performance this week against a Florida secondary that ranks 10th in the SEC allowing 224.5 yards per game through the air.
Young's first road start
Alabama’s new starting quarterback is no longer a stranger to starting games on the big stage. However, Young is in for a different type of beast this weekend as he makes his first road start during the Tide’s trip to The Swamp this weekend.
Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium has a capacity of 88,548 fans. While Young performed exceptionally well in front of a crowd of 71,829 fans inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier this month, it’s a lot different when that noise is aimed directly at you behind enemy lines.
“We know the challenges that are in front of us this weekend,” Young said. “We know how hostile the environment’s gonna be. For me and really for everyone on the team, it’s something that Coach is gonna prepare for, something that we’re not taking lightly at all.”
Alabama prepares for away crowds by blaring the speakers inside of its indoor facility during practice. Young says those workouts will be crucial in getting the offense acclimated to communication amidst adverse conditions.
“Us all on offense and us as a team, being on the same page is gonna be really big for us,” Young said. “We’re gonna make sure we’re communicating well, make sure that through the week that we’re getting the reps we need to get so we’re prepared for Saturday. That’s something that’s gonna come and develop and something we’re really gonna be emphasizing this week.”
Florida's two-QB attack
Emory Jones has started behind center for Florida in both of its games this season. However, the quarterback generating the most buzz for the Gators is redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson, who ran for a team-high 275 yards on just 11 carries.Richardson suffered a hamstring injury during last week’s game against South Florida but has “done fine” in practice this week, according to Florida head coach Dan Mullen. If healthy, the 6-foot-4, 236 pounder figures to split time with Jones against Alabama.
Through two games, Jones has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions while adding another 155 yards and a score on the ground. Richardson has completed 6 of 11 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
“I think both quarterbacks have played extremely well for them,” Saban said during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “Emory Jones is a very capable guy. He’s a good runner, he’s a good passer. Both are very athletic. Anthony Richardson has made some phenomenal plays when he’s played running and passing. He’s definitely a big, strong running back-type guy when he does carry the ball, and they’ve got some really good quarterback runs to feature that talent. But he’s also showed a lot of poise and presence in the passing game.
“So I think both guys are unique in their ability to play the position, and both have been very productive when they’ve had opportunities to play.”
Problems with penalties
Alabama currently finds itself in the top 10 of an unenviable stat. A lack of discipline has seen the Tide give up an average of 88 yards per game in penalties as it has been flagged 17 times over the past two weeks. Nine of those flags came against Mercer resulting in 95 yards — a display Saban described as “ridiculous.”
“There's a lot of good things in the game,” Saban said Monday, “but I think consistency in performance is what we really need to work on in terms of maintaining consistency, staying focused, playing with more discipline, eliminating penalties and poor full-speed decisions that are resulting in penalties.”
Fortunately for Alabama, Florida is also struggling with penalties this season. The Gators have been flagged 13 times for 136 yards over their two games. Still, the Tide can’t afford to make life any more difficult for itself as it faces its biggest challenge to date this season.
Sunshine State homecoming
Saturday’s matchup marks Alabama’s first road game of the season, but for several of the Tide’s players, the trip to The Swamp will serve as a homecoming. Alabama’s roster features 17 Florida natives, including several notable stars.
On offense, Okeechobee native Evan Neal will block for former IMG Academy teammate and Port Saint Joe native Trey Sanders. The Tide’s defense features plenty of South Florida talent, including Miami native Josh Jobe at cornerback as well as safeties Jordan Battle and Daniel Wright and outside linebacker Dallas Turner, who all hail from Fort Lauderdale. Defensive tackle Tim Smith, a Sebastian native, also saw a career-high 36 snaps against Mercer last week.
“I am very excited,” Battle said of the trip back to his home state. “Going to The Swamp is always something a kid dreams of while playing in the SEC. The Swamp is probably one of the greatest stadiums in history. It’s going to be fun playing there. Growing up as a kid, as a recruit going to their games, seeing how hyped they were, it’s going to be a great experience.”
Alabama has traveled to the state of Florida four times over the past three seasons. In 2018, the Tide opened up against Louisville for the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando before facing Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in Miami as part of the College Football Playoff. The following season, Alabama returned to Orlando to face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. The Tide’s most recent trip to the Sunshine State occurred earlier this year as it beat Ohio State in last season’s national championship game in Miami.
During the Saban era, Alabama is 7-2 in games played in the state of Florida. The Tide’s last loss in the state came against Clemson during the 2017 national championship game played in Tampa.
This week will mark Alabama’s first trip to Gainsville since 2011 when the Tide beat the Gators 38-10. Alabama is 8-2 against Florida in games played inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
