At most positions, Alabama has the luxury of starting experienced players. In several cases these guys have the chance to chase school records this year, but that's not where this list will start.
First, let's take a look at some defensive newcomers that have stolen the spotlight recently.
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A pair of freshmen are slated to start for Alabama’s defense on Saturday. Will Anderson Jr. will get the first crack at the Jack linebacker position. Interestingly enough, his backup is fellow freshman Drew Sanders.
The other freshman starter hasn’t been officially announced, but Alabama’s depth chart narrowed the Star competition down to freshmen Malachi Moore and Brian Branch.
Four freshmen started the Crimson Tide’s season-opener against Duke: DJ Dale, Christian Harris, Shane Lee and Evan Neal.
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Alabama has beaten Missouri three times since the Tigers joined the Southeastern conference back in 2012. None of the meetings have been close as Alabama won by 29 points or more in all three games.
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Despite facing the Crimson Tide in the first week, the Tigers won’t be at full strength. Seven unnamed Missouri players will miss this one due to COVID-19 protocols. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz expected that number to be as high as 12 until Wednesday when further testing found a previously inconclusive test to be negative.
Getting those players back could be crucial as Drinkwitz said the team was ‘dangerously’ close to every SEC threshold for play this season. Teams who failed to field one quarterback, seven offensive linemen or four defensive linemen can choose to have the SEC declare the game a no-contest. Drinkwitz said his team shouldn’t have any problems meeting those thresholds, but it’s something that bears watching in 2020.
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Nick Saban is 13-0 in opening games since arriving in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has looked especially dominant across the last four openers when the Crimson Tide beat Duke, Louisville, Florida State and USC by an average of 34.8 points per game.
In Saban’s tenure, Alabama won those 13 games by an average of 29.5 points per game. Oh, and did I mention that the Crimson Tide is currently a 27-point favorite over Missouri.
Checkout the rest of the numbers including 24.4, 26, 64 and 111 here:
By the Numbers: Alabama's pursuit of records begins at Missouri
On Saturday, Alabama will officially put the longest offseason in recent memory to rest when the Crimson Tide takes on
