🏈 GAME THREAD Missouri vs ALABAMA

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama took the field Monday as players participated in their first practice in preparation of Saturday’s homecoming game against Arkansas. Players were dressed in shorts and shirts and worked under sunny, 87-degree weather. Here are some notes from the media viewing period.

— Earlier in the day, head coach Nick Saban announced starting cornerback Trevon Diggs is “out indefinitely with a broken foot while backup tight end Kedrick James will miss time with a high-ankle sprain. Both players were not present during the viewing period.

— With Diggs gone, JUCO transfer Saivion Smith led the cornerback during individual drills. He was followed by Patrick Surtain II, Josh Jobe and Nigel Knot.

— Alabama is now without three of its defensive backs as sophomore Daniel Wright underwent surgery last week while freshman Jalyn Armour-Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury last month.

“It's going to be challenging,” Saban said. “We're obviously very thin and need some other guys to step up and develop and next guy up has got to take the challenge and play well for us. Patrick has played quite a bit at his position. So we do have two guys that have some experience, but we don't have a lot of depth right now and we're going to have to work to get some other players to develop and be able to play for us.”

— Defensive back Saivion Smith is still practicing with a small club on his hand. To his credit, he’s still able to reel in balls during drills.

— Tua Tagovailoa was standing while the other quarterbacks threw to each other on their knees. His right knee was wrapped, but that didn’t keep him from participating in drills.

— Starting left tackle Jonah Williams was back at practice after missing practice with a sprained ankle last week. Williams started against Arkansas over the weekend and showed no limitation. The first-team offensive line remained the same. The second unit consisted of Scott Lashley, Deonte Brown, Chris Owens, Joshua Casher and Matt Womack from left to right.

— Mack Wilson once again had to take time to get his right foot wrapped during inside linebacker drills. That’s become a common occurrence during media viewing periods.

— There were two stationary bikes present during the viewing period.

Monday Insider Report (Missouri week) | BamaInsider.com
 
Missouri native Hale Hentges 'couldn't be happier' at Alabama | BamaInsider.com

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The decision wasn’t easy by any means. Hale Hentges traveled across the nation on a strenuous recruiting search that ultimately spanned 18 unofficial visits before finding a new home in Alabama. Coming from a native of Jefferson City, Mo., that choice took a few people by surprise.

Hentges grew up roughly 35 minutes away from Missouri’s campus and cheered on the Tigers as a kid. Had the 6-foot-5 tight end been a few inches taller, his former high school basketball coach, Josh Buffington, believes he could have suited up in black and gold on the hardwood. Instead, Hentges will be donning crimson and white Saturday as he takes on his home-state team for the first time in his career.

“I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was excited for this one,” Hentges said. “Just because it's Missouri and ever since I was a little kid I always grew up watching Missouri. It'll be fun to see how our team stacks up against theirs. And, obviously, there'll be a lot of people back home watching.”

Hentges is also expecting a substantial cheering section inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. Along with family members, Buffington and several other friends and former coaches will be making the 560-mile trip south from Jefferson City to see the former Helias star in person. The lone Missouri native on the roster, Hentges is still hoping to pull off a few last-minute deals to accommodate his hometown supporters.

“I do have a lot of people coming to this one, naturally,” Hentges said. “I’m going to do everything I can to try and exchange some tickets with some teammates so I can get them down here because I have a lot of people coming, obviously.”

Hentges doesn’t regret his decision to come Alabama one bit. The former three-star recruit has carved his niche as the Crimson Tide’s blocking tight end and has started all four years since coming to Alabama. Over that span, he has been to three national championships and helped the Crimson Tide to two national championships.

Looking back, Hentges and his family have no regrets over his college choice. Although, that didn’t make the decision any easier.

“I know the Missouri fans really wanted him to go to Missouri, and we did visit there quite a bit,” Hentges’ father Chris said. “They were one of those schools who jumped in early on Hale and offered him his freshman year, so they recruited him for four years and developed a relationship over that time.

“There were a lot of hard feelings and things we got past, but I think people in Missouri now can see it and understand it. They’re proud of him and rooting for him. I won’t say that it wasn’t difficult for a while not choosing Missouri as the school he was going to go to.”

While Hentges received plenty of support from friends and family, some of the Missouri faithful wasn’t as accepting.

Hale Hentges@HaleHentges · May 25, 2014
After much deliberation and prayer, I have decided to play football at The University of Alabama! #RollTide​
CP@standachance
@HaHentges Lifelong Mizzou fan huh? Odd way of showing it.
7:01 PM - May 25, 2014
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Represent Mizzou@RepresentMizzou · May 25, 2014
Hale Hentges commits to Alabama, a team that lost its bowl game & finished below #Mizzou in the final AP. They're usually pretty decent tho​
Steve-O@ZeroJour
@RepresentMizzou I'm honestly trying to think of the last great Bama TE and am coming up blank.
8:28 PM - May 25, 2014
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Hale Hentges@HaleHentges · May 25, 2014
After much deliberation and prayer, I have decided to play football at The University of Alabama! #RollTide​
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Hale Hentges@HaleHentges · May 25, 2014
After much deliberation and prayer, I have decided to play football at The University of Alabama! #RollTide​
Aaron Weimer@The_Dean12
@HaHentges hope you enjoy the new car that Coach Saban bribed you with
7:10 PM - May 25, 2014
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For the most part, Missouri fans have come to accept Hentges' decision, at least the ones he’s concerned with. The Alabama tight end said he understands the initial hostility and has moved on without any ill will.

“How can you blame them? A local hometown guy, they obviously think I should have gone to Mizzou and that's OK,” Hentges said. “I love that school and everything, but I made the best decision of my life coming to the University of Alabama, and I couldn't be happier.”

Alabama will host Missouri on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN for its annual homecoming game.
 
Tuesday Insider Report (Missouri week) | BamaInsider.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama worked outside Tuesday in its second practice in preparation for Saturday’s homecoming game against Missouri. Players were dressed in full pads and practiced under sunny, 85-degree weather. Here are some notes from the media viewing period.

— Tua Tagovailoa continues to wear a brace on his right knee and did not kneel with the rest of the quarterbacks during the first part of the viewing period. Despite the slight limitation, Tagovailoa is moving around well and doesn’t appear affected by the brace.

— Alabama’s secondary practiced out of the nickel formation. Saivion Smith and Patrick Surtain were the two cornerbacks, while Shyheim Carter lined up at Star. Xavier McKinney and Deionte Thompson were the two safeties, while Dylan Moses and Mack Wilson were the two linebackers

— Josh Jobe and Nigel Knott were the two cornerbacks on the second unit while D.J. Lewis played Star. Keaton Anderson was shadowed by Eddie Smith at one safety position, while Jared Mayden was shadowed by Kyriq McDonald. Markail Benton was shadowed by Ale Kaho at one linebacker spot, while Joshua McMillon was shadowed by Jaylen Moody at the other.

— Jerry Jeudy led the slot receivers and was followed by Jaylen Waddle and Chadarius Townsend. DeVonta Smith was followed Tyrell Shavers and Xavian Marks in one group. Henry Ruggs III was followed by Derek Kief and Xavier Williams.

— Williams (6-foot-1, 182 pounds) was wearing a No. 12 scout-team jersey representing Johnathon Johnson (5-foot-10, 180 pounds). Slade Bolden (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) was wearing a No. 9 scout-team jersey representing Jalen Knox (6-foot, 195 pounds). Johnson has 21 receptions for 240 yards this season, while Knox has 12 catches for 219 yards and a touchdown.
 
Five questions as the Alabama Crimson Tide prepares for Missouri | BamaInsider.com

There’s a bittersweet feeling in Tuscaloosa coming off of Alabama’s 65-31 victory over Arkansas. On one hand, the Crimson Tide’s offense continued to roll, reaching the 60-point mark for the second time this season. On the other hand, Alabama gave up its highest points total since its national championship loss to Clemson in 2017.

Alabama is currently a 28.5 favorite heading into Saturday’s homecoming matchup against Missouri. Here are five questions to consider leading up to the game.

1. How will the secondary adjust to the loss of Trevon Diggs?

Trevon Diggs’ broken foot couldn’t have come at a worse time. After allowing a season-high 405 yards of total offense to Arkansas last week, the last thing Alabama needed was to lose a key player at a position it didn’t have much depth at to begin with. Making matters worse, Alabama now faces a Missouri team which ranks No. 9 in total offense with 530 yards per game, including an average of 318.4 yards through the air.

Despite a shaky performance last week, Diggs has been a key contributor this season, leading the team with six pass breakups. The junior is also one of the most experienced players in Alabama’s young secondary, a unit that already lost backup safety Daniel Wright (shoulder) and backup cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (knee) for the season.

That leaves Alabama with several fresh faces and not much room for error moving forward.

Junior college transfer Saivion Smith has led the cornerbacks in individual drills during practice. Smith began the season as a starter at cornerback and will likely take Diggs’ spot across from freshman Patrick Surtain II. Alabama also has a veteran option in Shyheim Carter, who has started at Star out of the nickel package and shifted to safety out of the dime package. Diggs’ injury could also mean more action for freshman Josh Jobe, who drew plenty of praise during fall camp.

"It's a big loss, but we have to step up,” safety Deionte Thompson said. “Us, the older guys, we have to get the younger guys on the same page as us. We have to bring them in for extra film meetings, meet with them one-on-one, teach them the adjustments so they can be ready to play winning football."

2. Is Alabama’s offense moving too fast?

Alabama head coach Nick Saban says he isn’t apologizing for his quick-strike offense. However, the rate at which the Crimson Tide is lighting up the scoreboard has caused its own players’ heads to spin.

"Trust me, as an offensive player, sometimes it’s even frustrating how fast we can score,” tight end Hale Hentges joked. “It’s like, ‘OK, let’s get in a rhythm, let’s get in a groove.’ You throw a block and you’re like, ‘OK, that was one play.’ The second play, I’m getting my feet wet and all of sudden we score and it’s like, ‘Well, off to the sideline again.’”

Alabama leads the nation with 40 offensive touchdowns, taking an average of just 5.4 plays to find the end zone on those drives. During last week’s game against Arkansas, Alabama scored two touchdowns on its first three plays of the game.

While Hentges jokes about the annoyance of constant scoring for the offense, the short drives can be taxing on Alabama’s defense. That could play a bigger factor this week against a Missouri team that ranks third in the nation averaging 87.8 plays per game.

“Time of possession is probably important in a game, especially when you're playing against a team like Missouri, a fastball team,” Saban said. “They're up in the 90s in a lot of their games in terms of the number of plays. So when you don't get some balance in sort of controlling the ball for some period of time, it can wear on the defense a little bit.”

Despite the lack of rest, Alabama defenders aren’t complaining. Smiling, Thompson said he isn’t calling for the offense to step off the gas anytime soon.

“We don't want them to stop scoring, we want them to light up the scoreboard,” Thompson said. “We just have to be ready. Like sudden change, they score fast it's a sudden change situation and we have to be prepared for it.”

3. Will Tagovailoa finally see the fourth quarter.

Missouri might be Alabama’s toughest challenge to date, but can the Tigers take the Crimson Tide into the fourth quarter? Tua Tagovailoa has yet to take a snap in the fourth quarter as Alabama has been well ahead by that point in all six of its previous games. In fact, the sophomore quarterback has only taken 45 offensive snaps in the second half.

Tagovailoa took a season-high 18 second-half offensive snaps against Texas A&M, followed by 16 during the third quarter against Arkansas State. He took seven during last week’s game against Arkansas.

“Sometimes we have a plan for how we want to do it and sometimes you sort of do it by feel,” Saban said when asked how he decides when to lift his starting quarterback. “We have a lot of confidence in both of our quarterbacks. So, every time we get an opportunity to play Jalen [Hurts], we certainly want to do that.”

Tagovailoa piled up a career-best 387 yards and four touchdowns through the air against Texas A&M. He should be in a position to put up similar numbers if he’s allotted an equal amount of time on the field against Missouri. The Tigers rank No. 117 in the nation, allowing opponents an average of 284.8 yards per game through the air.

4. But what about Missouri’s quarterback?

While most of the national attention is placed on Tagovailoa, Alabama defenders haven’t overlooked the quarterback they’ll be facing Saturday.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock ranks second in the SEC, averaging 297.4 yards per game through the air. Through five games, the senior has completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,487 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions.

“Drew Lock is hands down one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, if not the best,” Thompson said. “The way that he can get the ball out of his hands is very fast. The way they move, they average a play every six seconds after the ball is snapped. They average the most plays in college football. It’s going to be a fast-paced game. We have to get lined up, get the call, communicate and be ready to play.”

Despite Lock’s impressive numbers, he’s struggled in Missouri’s past two games, completing a combined 40 of 84 passes (47.6 percent) for 425 yards with three interceptions in back-to-back losses to Georgia and South Carolina.

5. Is Irv Smith Jr. Alabama’s secret weapon?

With all the talent Alabama has at the receiver position, it might come as a surprise to some that tight end Irv Smith Jr. is second on the team with 332 receiving yards. Those who see the junior tight end every day in practice aren’t as shocked.

Smith showed off his big-play ability on the opening play from scrimmage last week, taking a short pass from Tagovailoa down the right sideline for a 76-yard touchdown.

“He runs like a 4.5. He might as well be a wide receiver,” Hentges said. “It would surprise me if I did that and ran down the field. But for Irv? No, that’s not surprising. He makes those plays all the time during practice. He’s a very explosive player for us, and we’re definitely going to need him going down the stretch.”

Tagovailoa later connected with Smith for a 47-yard reception that eventually ended with Ruggs recovering a fumble and returning it 12 yards for a touchdown. The 123-yard performance marked the first time the tight end reached the century mark in his career.
 
Wednesday Insider Report (Missouri week) | BamaInsider.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama worked outside Wednesday for its third practice in preparation for Saturday’s homecoming game against Missouri. Players were in full pads and practiced under cloudy 79-degree weather. Here are some notes from the media viewing period.

— I did not see starting offensive lineman Lester Cotton during the media viewing period of practice. Deonte Brown filled in for him at left guard as Alabama’s first unit lined up with Jonah Williams, Brown, Ross Pierschbacher, Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills from left to right. I’m hearing that Cotton picked up a small knock during Tuesday’s practice but that it isn’t deemed to be serious.

— Alabama’s second-team offensive line was comprised of Scott Lashley, Joshua Casher, Chris Owens, Emil Ekiyor and Matt Womack from left to right.

— Alabama’s secondary practiced out of the dime unit. Saivion Smith and Patrick Surtain were the two cornerbacks while Shyheim Carter moved to Star to fill in for injured Trevon Diggs (foot). Jared Mayden replaced Carter at one safety position, while Deionte Thompson filled the other. Xavier McKinney served as the Money. Dylan Moses shadowed Mack Wilson at the lone linebacker position.

— The defensive front seven was working out of its “Dime Rabbits package with Isaiah Buggs, Raekwon Davis, Joshua McMillon and Anfernee Jennings working with the first group. Moses would typically play where McMillon was but was with the secondary during the drill.

— Tua Tagovailoa continued to wear a brace on his right knee but was able to participate in drills with the rest of the quarterbacks. His movement doesn’t seem to be hindered by the brace during drills.
 
BamaInsider.com - Saban says he'd be 'surprised' to see injured DB return this season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Hopes of Trevon Diggs returning this season were all but squashed Wednesday as head coach Nick Saban said the injured defensive back will be out for “an extended period of time” with a broken foot he sustained last week against Arkansas.
“What he has is going to take a while,” Saban said. “I would be surprised if he will be able to come back by the end of the season.”
Diggs started every game at cornerback while moving to Star when the defense played out of its dime package. He led the team with six pass breakups while also tallying 20 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. The junior is the third member of Alabama’s secondary to suffer a season-ending injury, joining sophomore safety Daniel Wright (shoulder) and freshman cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (knee).
“It’s going to be challenging. We’re obviously very thin,” Saban said Monday. “We need some other guys to step up and develop, and the next guy up has got to take the challenge and play well for us.”

During practice this week, junior college transfer Saivion Smith replaced Diggs at corner out of the nickel package while Shyheim Carter filled in for him at Star in the dime package. Alabama also has less experienced options in freshman Josh Jobe and redshirt sophomore Nigel Knott, who both practiced with at cornerback with the second-team defense.

“It’s different guys. We lost six guys last year to graduation. We’ve got three guys who were in the two-deep that aren’t there anymore. So that’s nine guys,” Saban said. “We only have so many guys. So we do the best what we got, and we got to work to get a lot of guys better and it's really challenging for us. We’re looking forward to the challenge, and we’re going to have to go from there. We’ve got some guys who have an opportunity, and hopefully, they look at the opportunity in a positive way and do things that they need to do to be able to contribute to the team.”
Alabama will have little time to lick its wounds as it faces a Missouri team that ranks No. 9 in total offense with 530 yards per game, including an average of 318.4 yards through the air.

Missouri is facing injury problems of its own as head coach Barry Odom announced Wednesday that receivers Emanuel Hall and Nate Brown won’t be available to play against Alabama. Hall leads Missouri with 18 receptions for 430 yards and three touchdowns. Brown has 13 receptions for 129 yards. Still, the Tigers feature one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC in Drew Lock, who has completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,487 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions through five games.

"They have a prolific offense. Drew Lock is hands down one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, if not the best,” safety Deionte Thompson said. “The way that he can get the ball out of his hands is very fast. The way they move, they average a play every six seconds after the ball is snapped. They average the most plays in college football. It's going to be a fast-paced game. We have to get lined down, get the call, communicate and be ready to play.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. The matchup will serve as Alabama’s homecoming game.

Saban gives updates on Tagovailoa and Cotton
Saban also gave updates on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and starting left guard Lester Cotton. Tagovailoa has been wearing a brace on his right knee during practice this week, while Cotton did not participate with the rest of the offensive line during Wednesday’s viewing period.
“Tua’s taken every rep in practice. He does have sprained knee,” Saban said. “We did put a brace on him just to protect him, but he’s been able to do all the work in practice, so that’s not an issue.

“Lester Cotton sprained his ankle. It’s a mild ankle sprain. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get back to practice tomorrow, and we’ll be fine.”
 
It's at least a wee bit encouraging to know that Mizzou is limping into this game as well. With their 2 leading receivers out with groan pulls they will be slowed a little through the air. It's interesting that Drew Lock hasn't thrown a TD in the last 2 games so I'm not sure if it's Lock struggling or it's more a byproduct of Dooley's play calling. I'm sure our front seven are paying close attention to their running game that has been more than decent so far.
 
A little late to the party but just noticed DJ Lewis working with the 2's at Star?! Thought it was a typo but pretty cool to see another former walk on in the mix...

That being said, isn't Surtain our backup at Star? Heaven forebid another injury at CB...

RTR
 
Know the foe: Missouri brings potent passing attack to Alabama | BamaInsider.com

BamaInsider.com team writer Tony Tsoukalas asked five key questions about the Missouri Tigers heading into Saturday's homecoming game, and PowerMizzou.com's Gabe DeArmond answered them.

1. Last week, Arkansas had a lot of success attacking Alabama with tight end screens. Do you see Missouri trying to do the same thing with Albert Okwuegbunam?

I'd expect Okwuegbunam to be a big part of the game plan. First off, you can't count on the offensive line giving Lock a ton of time to throw deep. Second, his receiving corps is really banged up and we expect Emanuel Hall to be out again. Okwuegbunam is considered one of the best tight ends in the country and an NFL draft possibility after this year, but he's struggled a bit, especially last week against South Carolina. The Tigers might think about using Kendall Blanton, their second tight end, quite a bit in this one too.

2. What’s been behind Drew Lock’s recent struggles, and can he turn it around against a thin Alabama secondary?

He's played better teams. That's been the knock through his career. He has put up numbers against the bad teams but struggled against the good ones. In addition, last week half the game was played in a torrential downpour and he was without two of his top three wide receivers, plus Richaud Floyd who hasn't played yet this year. Lock wasn't bad against Georgia but got no help. He wasn't good against South Carolina and again got little help.

3. Missouri has struggled against the pass. What do you think their plan will be against Tua Tagovailoa and company?

Hope and pray? I don't mean to be dismissive, but I don't really see how this defense is going to be the one to slow down the Alabama passing game. The Tigers have made the last three teams they played like look Bama throwing the ball.

4. What’s Missouri mindset after the heartbreaker last week?

Good question. They seem loose. They've been close in the last couple of games, they just haven't finished it. The truth is that no one expects them to even be able to make this one interesting for a half, so as Barry Odom said, they need to go out there and "cut loose." If they lose by 30, so what? Everybody else has too.

5. Who is one Missouri player Alabama fans might not know about but should?

The Missouri backfield is very good. Damarea Crockett, Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie all averaged more than seven yards a carry and all have had games where they looked like the number one back. Now I don't really expect Mizzou to be able to run wild against Alabama or anything, but if the Tigers can get something going on the ground, that would be a good thing.
 
Running List of Injuries As of October 10, 2018

Trevon Diggs - Corner - Out - Foot - Suffered broken foot during week six against Arkansas (Season)

Kedrick James - Tight End - Out - Ankle sprain (TBA)

Daniel Wright - Defensive Back - Shoulder - Shoulder surgery in early October (Season)

Jalyn Armour-Davis - DB - Knee (Season)

Christopher Allen - ILB - Knee (Season)

Terrell Lewis - OLB - Knee (Season)

Running List of Injuries | BamaInsider.com
 

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