re: Alabama Practice Report - Wednesday, September 23rd and other stuff

quote:

---

ULM at Alabama

When: Saturday, Sept. 26; 4 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Louisiana-Monroe pulled off a 21-14 upset win at Alabama in November 2007 during Nick Saban's first season with the Crimson Tide.

What to watch for

Louisiana-Monroe (1-1) was off last week after posting a shutout win against Nicholls State. The Warhawks opened with a lightning-shortened 51-14 loss at Georgia in which they allowed 243 rushing yards to the Bulldogs.

Alabama (2-1) is dealing with the aftermath of its first home loss to Ole Miss in 27 years and the earliest loss in any season under Saban, and with that comes the inevitable questions about whether the Crimson Tide's run of being an elite team is over. In reality, it's more a matter of still having a lot of unanswered questions, particularly at the quarterback position. Jake Coker is not looking like the answer, while Cooper Bateman's shot to prove himself against the Rebels was short-lived.

There's also the issue of why offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin hasn't just leaned on Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake and their running ability, as last week the Tide ran 42 times and passed on 58 occasions.

"Even though Alabama has already played three games this season, no one knows what kind of offense the Crimson Tide want to be, including the Crimson Tide," Bleacher Report's Christopher Walsh wrote.

Part of the reason for the pass-heavy play-calling against Ole Miss was Alabama's second-half deficit. The Tide will surely look to be more balanced against the Warhawks.

Alabama spreads out its non-league games for situations just like this, as well as to provide a buffer before big matchups such as the Oct. 3 trip to Georgia. With that in mind, expect more tinkering on offense but still plenty of production.

Prediction: Alabama 45, Louisiana-Monroe 10

---