No. 15 Alabama will look to get back into the College Football Playoff race when it hosts No. 21 Missouri in a Southeastern Conference game Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Crimson Tide (5-2, 2-2) are coming off a 24-17 loss at then-No. 11 Tennessee last week. That raised the stakes for Alabama’s homecoming game against the Tigers (6-1, 2-1).
“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy,” first-year Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said Monday. “We knew winning a championship, each and every year, especially in the SEC, was going to be hard. We knew there were going to be challenges, with the transitions and all that. No excuses.
“We have to continue to move forward. We have to continue to build. That’s what this week is all about, taking that next step.”
Alabama rushed for just 76 yards on 34 carries against Tennessee. Quarterback Jalen Milroe was 25-of-45 passing for 239 yards and a touchdown but also threw two interceptions.
“I’m pleased with a lot of the things he’s done, the way he’s really wanted to learn the offense, our system,” DeBoer said. “I think there’s always a management of a game that goes between coaching staff and your quarterback because he’s the ultimate guy on the field that runs the show. You asked if there’s a learning curve, I think there always is. I think it continues.”
Overall this season, Milroe has passed for 1,722 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 330 yards and 11 TDs.
Alabama’s Ryan Williams has caught 31 passes for 649 yards and seven touchdowns, and Jam Miller has rushed for 402 yards and five TDs.
Missouri, meanwhile, rallied for a 21-17 victory over Auburn last Saturday. The Tigers trailed 17-3 in the third quarter, but quarterback Brady Cook led them to victory.
Cook suffered an ankle injury on Missouri’s opening possession. He went to a nearby hospital to get an MRI, returned to test the ankle in the team’s practice facility, then came back into the game late in the third quarter.
Overall, Cook has passed for 1,545 yards and seven touchdowns this season and has rushed for 117 yards and four TDs.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has not updated the condition of Cook or any of his injured players.
Leading rusher Nate Noel sat out two weeks ago with a stiff back, then exited the Auburn game with a foot injury. For the season, he has run for 503 yards and two touchdowns in six games.
Missouri’s Marcus Carroll has rushed for 321 and six scores, and receiver Luther Burden III has 537 receiving and rushing yards with six TDs.
Drinkwitz said he hopes his team will handle playing at Alabama better than it did playing at then-No. 25 Texas A&M, where the Tigers lost 41-10 on Oct. 5.
“I think we have a lot of confidence in our players’ grit and toughness,” Drinkwitz said. “This is going to be a new challenge that we weren’t able to measure up to last time just with the size of the stadium, going on the road and the ranked opponent.
“So we’re going to have to challenge ourselves to meet this challenge. We’re going to have to work hard this week to build up our confidence. Your confidence comes from your preparation.”
