No. 8 Alabama was on the road again this week with yet another tough test. The Crimson Tide traveled to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the 5-0 Tigers. Alabama’s run defense was doubted by fans and analysts coming into the game, but passed the test against a dominant rushing Missouri rushing attack
No. 14 Missouri, was heavily talked about as the favorite to beat Alabama, not because Alabama is a bad team, but because Missouri had been one of the best teams statistically in the country to start the season.
Joel Klatt, a Fox sports football analyst and broadcast announcer even went on to say: “If you just go blind resume this game, you would never favor Alabama.”
Through the first six weeks, one could argue that Missouri had been the most complete team in college football. The Tigers were dominant on both sides of the ball, putting up some of the most impressive numbers in the nation.
On offense, Missouri entered the matchup ranked fourth in yards per game, seventh in points per game, third in rushing and 51st in passing. Starting running back Ahmad Hardy held the 14th-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy and had been widely discussed as one of the best running backs in college football.
Defensively, the Tigers were equally impressive. Coming into the game against Alabama, Missouri ranked second in yards allowed per game, 16th in points allowed per game and 10th in passing defense. Former five-star Georgia transfer Damon Wilson had recorded more quarterback pressures than the entire Georgia defense combined.
Against expectations, Alabama held the nation’s leading rusher to 52 yards on 12 carries, his lowest total since Week 3 against Texas last season. That’s a key stat considering Alabama’s run defense entered the game ranked No. 87 in the country. After the game, head coach Kalen DeBoer said that the team’s rush defense “took another step in the right direction.”
One key number that wasn’t talked about as much was Missouri’s strength of schedule. The Tigers entered the game ranked No. 110 in that category, while Alabama’s strength of schedule was ranked No. 3.
One of the biggest factors in Alabama’s win was its experience against top-tier teams. That preparation made Alabama ready for this moment. Missouri is a good team, but the lack of strong opponents it faced earlier in the season ultimately cost it in this game.
The previous two opponents for Alabama had been effective running the ball. Vanderbilt ranks No. 2 in yards per carry and No. 20 in rush yards per game, while Georgia ranks No. 19 in rush yards per game.
Missouri had not played a team comparable to this Alabama squad, and it showed on Saturday. The Tigers’ defense came out slow, and they fell behind 17-7 early in the game.
Missouri was understandably hyped heading into the week, and many expected the Tigers to win. But as Saturday proved, football is played on the field and not on paper.
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