TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – It seems like a perfect time to catch Alabama off guard.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide sweated out a win in a much-hyped game with No. 10 Texas A&M. Now heavy underdog Colorado State (1-2) comes to town Saturday night, with No. 21 Mississippi awaiting for another Southeastern Conference showdown.
“It’s going to be a big week for us to not have a letdown week after a big win, so we’ve got to come out and handle business,” Tide quarterback AJ McCarron said.
Rams’ head coach Jim McElwain knows firsthand that scenario doesn’t guarantee Alabama (2-0) will try to sleepwalk through the follow-up game, even against a 39½-point underdog. In fact, he thinks it’s highly unlikely.
“One of the things I know from being there is that there is no letdown,” said McElwain, who was the Tide’s offensive coordinator from 2008 to 2011. “People could point out that they just had that huge win over a nationally ranked team. One of the things that they do as well as anybody in the country does is that it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, it’s about playing against yourself.
“It’s about how you do every single day, in every single snap to get better.”
Besides, few wins on such a big stage provided more defensive teaching points than that one for Alabama. The Aggies’ 628 yards was the most ever against a Tide defense.
Saban said games such as that 49-42 shootout “take years off your life as a coach.” They aren’t much kinder to Saban-coached defensive backs. He said he gave some younger DBs a shot at earning more playing time this week. A unit vying to become the first to lead the nation in scoring defense three years running has a little extra motivation, too.
“I think they have a lot of pride in their performance and certainly are trying to get better and play better,” Saban said.
It’s the Tide’s home opener after a neutral-site romp over Virginia Tech, an open date and a visit to Texas A&M.
Alabama has won 20 in a row over nonconference opponents and outscored such teams by an average of 27 points under Saban, while going 27-3.
Five things to watch when Colorado State plays at No. 1 Alabama on Saturday:
The task on Alabama’s defense gets much easier for the Tide a week after giving up all those yards to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M; CSU ranks 85th in total offense, averaging 367.7 yards and 29.3 points per game.
CSU only has faced one top-ranked team, the 2004 Southern California group led by stars Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Colorado native LenDale White.
If the game goes as expected, this will be a chance for Alabama to get some youngsters in the game, including freshmen tailbacks Derrick Henry and Altee Tenpenny. Backup quarterback Blake Sims only has attempted one pass.
Alabama cornerback Deion Belue and receiver Kevin Norwood are questionable while nursing injuries. The Tide has loads of depth at receiver, and Saban listed five defensive backs who could vie to replace Belue or get more snaps, including a couple of freshmen.
Alabama safety Vinnie Sunseri has returned interceptions for touchdowns in each of Alabama’s first two games. Antonio Langham is the only Tide defender to score nonoffensive touchdowns in three consecutive games, which he did in 1992.
