3 Things for Mizzou Fans to Know About Alabama

Most important details about the Tigers third road opponent of the season.

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) is tackled along the sideline by South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Vicari Swain (4) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

The No. 21 Missouri Tigers are facing arguably its toughest challenge yet against the No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Crimson Tide are loaded full of talent and with new head coach Kalen DeBoer, presenting a different scheme than the Nick Saban era. Times have changed in Tuscaloosa but even without its legendary ex-head coach, the Crimson Tide are still winning games.

That being said, they have two losses on its record, one to the Vanderbilt Commodores and the other to the Tennessee Volunteers. Those games highlighted its weaknesses and need to be thoroughly studied by the Tiger coaches to exploit Alabama's weaknesses.

Here are three things on the Crimson Tide that Tiger fans need to be aware of.

Impact receivers

The media hype of 17-year-old Ryan Williams is completely justified. Outside of his impressive statistical performance to date, the tools and traits he's put on display on the Alabama offense so far are unheard of for an inexperienced freshman.

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) bobbles then catches this pass against the Georgia Bulldogs during the third quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

He currently leads the Crimson Tide with 649 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 31 receptions, averaging 20.9 yards per reception. He's shown his ability to hurt secondaries after the catch and in physical one-on-one situations. He's never the underdog in either scenario and has become the focus of the Alabama offense.

Lining up in the slot, Washington transfer Germie Bernard has made a name for himself as a physical option for quarterback Jalen Milroe to target. He's recorded 381 yards and two touchdowns on 25 receptions. He's second on the team in yards after catch with 141, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) and second in contested catches with five, also behind Williams.

Kobe Prentice and Kendrick Law are targets for Milroe that cannot be forgotten. Both are explosive athletes and are capable of making plays with the ball in their hands. Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan loves to get his running backs involved in the receiving game as well, so Justice Haynes, Emmanuel Henderson Jr. and Jam Miller are all backfield threats to catch passes.

Veteran running back

Jam Miller is not even a senior yet but already runs the ball with force and efficiency like a fifth-year veteran. He's rushed for 402 yards and five touchdowns on 63 carries, leading the Crimson Tide running backs.

Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) runs the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Standing at 5-foot-10, 218-pounds, Miller has quietly become one of the best running backs in the conference. He's only the eleventh leading rusher in the SEC, but of those backs ahead of him, he has a higher yards per carry average, besides Texas A&M running back Le'Veon Moss, with 6.4.

Miller has yet to be a workhorse back for the Crimson Tide but has proved to be as reliable as anyone on the offense. His stats would more than likely be atop the SEC if he received the same amount of carries opposing running backs did, but his production is just enough to make the Crimson Tide offense multi-faceted.

Quarterback Pressures

The Crimson Tide have the ninth-rated pass rush in the SEC according to PFF, but are one of the best teams in the country when it comes to the total number of pressures. They have 118 quarterback pressures as a team and multiple pass rushers and linebackers that make life for opposing quarterbacks unpleasant.

Senior linebacker Que Robinson leads the Crimson Tide in sacks with four and after him, a plethora of defenders have dropped the quarterback so far. LT Overton, a former five-star recruit, leads the Crimson Tide in quarterback pressures with 29. A transfer from Texas A&M, he's having the best season of his three-year career so far.

Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Que Robinson (34) Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Deontae Lawson (0) tackles Vanderbilt Commodores running back Sedrick Alexander (28) during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Imagesat FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Linebackers Jihaad Campbell, Deontae Lawson and Keanu Koht have applied pressure to the quarterback as well and the variety of the three is a challenging group to plan for.

Defensive tackles Tim Smith and Tim Keenan III are massive gap-fillers in the middle of the defensive line, both of which make the run game challenging. The pair has also put pressure on the quarterback, with 2.5 sacks and 12 pressures between the two of them.

The Alabama defense is loaded with top-100 recruits and other talented transfers, which is to be expected from an Alabama roster. No glaring weaknesses jump off the field for its defensive unit, which won't make life for the Missouri Tigers any easier.

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