No. 15 Alabama has its back against the wall going into its game versus Missouri on Saturday. This week, the one-loss Tigers are in a similar situation.
Assistant Sports Editor Samuel Prestipino went “behind enemy bylines” to discuss the matchup with Tanner Coerr, a football writer for the University of Missouri’s student-run newspaper, The Maneater.
Prestipino: How have the Tigers either met or not met fan expectations so far this season?
Coerr: After the 11-2 season last year that ended in a Cotton Bowl victory, expectations for the team skyrocketed. While the “national championship or bust” crowd isn’t the entirety of the fanbase, it definitely makes up a majority of the fans, especially so at the beginning of the season.
With that said, fans have been somewhat disappointed this year — obviously, the 41-10 loss to Texas A&M headlines that disappointment, but playing down to the wire with Vanderbilt and Auburn has affected that as well. Context is important, of course: Vanderbilt has shown to be a very good team after beating Alabama, and in the Auburn game we were without our quarterback for the majority of the game and controlled the pace defensively throughout, but regardless, the general public has been somewhat unhappy with the performance of the team.
Prestipino: What does a successful end to the season look like for Missouri?
Coerr: Barring a drastic turnaround, this team is not one that is truly a title contender, but it still possesses a very high ceiling. The Cotton Bowl last year wasn’t enough to whet the appetite of the fanbase or the team — both parties are looking for sustained success, and another year taking home a New Year’s Six bowl victory would be the only way to sate everyone involved. Making the playoff is not out of the question, as winning out from this point would definitely put them in there, but the team has yet to show the abilities that allow running the table to be a plausible option. Beating Oklahoma and winning a high-level bowl game would be a successful end to the season.
Prestipino: How will the Missouri staff prepare for the dual-threat ability that Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe poses?
Coerr: Milroe is not the first mobile quarterback that the Tigers have faced this year. Buffalo’s C.J. Ogbonna, Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia are among those names. Missouri has a very strong linebacker core with players like Chuck Hicks and Corey Flagg Jr. who are options as potential QB spies, but that sort of defense is reliant on faith in the secondary to mitigate the Tide’s downfield threats. Our defensive backs have yet to make the proper strides to contain the deep ball, meaning the only way to ensure Milroe doesn’t beat them downfield is by sending pressure and living with the potential for damage on the ground through scrambles.
Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon does not live and die by the blitz like some coaches in college football, but that should be the game plan if they want to stop Milroe. Kirby Smart called it picking your poison, and the option to allow is the scrambling rather than giving Milroe time to unload downfield.
Prestipino: How will the Tiger offense look to attack a young/banged-up Alabama secondary?
Coerr: Brady Cook has not shown the penchant for the vertical passing game this year that he did last season, but Alabama will be in for a rude awakening if they let their guard down because of that. Between Luther Burden III, Theo Wease Jr., Mookie Cooper and more, it is hard to find a better receiving core in the country. Coach Eli Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore are aware of Cook’s struggles to go downfield this year, and while they won’t necessarily stop trying for those, expect the majority of the passing game to occur in the 8-15 yard range as well as with various WR and TE screens. Cook, for all the criticism he’s received this year, has been fantastic in that 8-15 range and can pick apart a defense willing to give him those throws.
Prestipino: What would be the keys to a Missouri victory on Saturday?
Coerr: Beating Alabama under Nick Saban was always about winning in the trenches, and that’s no different against a Kalen DeBoer-led team. In the losses to Tennessee and Vanderbilt, they rushed for 75 and 84 yards — compare that to the Georgia win, where they gained 173 yards on the ground. Missouri is allowing about 125 rush yards per game, so players like Chris McClellan and Zion Young will be crucial up front to stop that multidimensional rushing attack.
On the flip side of things, even with lead back Nate Noel ruled out for the game, Missouri must have a productive run game. One of the most puzzling things this year has been their insistence on going back to the air when the ground has been where they’ve found the majority of their success. Marcus Carroll had a huge three-touchdown game versus UMass, and they will need to see similar production out of him and players like Jamal Roberts and Kewan Lacy if they want to dictate the pace of the game and take home the victory.
Prestipino: What is your score prediction for Saturday’s game? Explain why you think the score will be what it will be.
Coerr: I do think Alabama will pull this one out, 37-24. Bryant-Denny Stadium is nearly impossible to win in as an away team, and Missouri has not shown themselves this year to be a team capable of pulling it off. They are both good squads, and I don’t think the loss will be an indictment of Mizzou’s season, but regardless, Alabama takes this one by 13.
