Alabama football vs. Middle Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report
Alabama football is set to kick off its 17th season under Nick Saban's leadership this weekend. Without a depth chart released Monday like usual ahead of the first game, the matchup against Middle Tennessee will reveal plenty about where position battles stand for the Crimson Tide.
Quarterback is the spot of the most interest. Who starts against the Blue Raiders and how he performs will likely play a significant role as for who starts the Texas game the following week.
The Crimson Tide will face the Blue Raiders on Saturday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Here's our scouting report of Middle Tennessee and score prediction for the game.
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An opportunistic defense
The Blue Raiders know how to force turnovers. That much has been clear over the past two seasons.
Middle Tennessee forced 30 in 2022, ranked second in the country. That's after a season the year before in which the Blue Raiders led the nation with 32 takeaways. Over the past two seasons, Middle Tennessee has tallied 25 fumble recoveries and 37 interceptions.
The Blue Raiders also lead the nation in defensive touchdowns the past two seasons with 10 total.
If Jalen Milroe is in fact the guy at quarterback, ball security will be key. He limited turnovers in the second half against Texas A&M when he started a season ago, but he struggled with ball security in the first half. Even though Middle Tennessee isn't on par with some of the opponents coming to Tuscaloosa this fall, the defense has a chance to get the Alabama offense to commit some mistakes if Milroe and company don't take good care of the football.
History of Middle Tennessee vs. Alabama football
The Crimson Tide and Blue Raiders have played three times in the history of the programs. Alabama has won all three of those matchups, most recently a 37-10 win for the Crimson Tide on Sept. 12, 2015. Saban is 2-0 against Middle Tennessee himself, and the Blue Raiders coach, Rick Stockstill, has lost the only game he has coached against Alabama.
Blue Raiders have had success against Power Five opponents
It's highly unlikely Middle Tennessee comes into Bryant-Denny Stadium and beats the Crimson Tide, but Stockstill has had success against Power Five opponents during his tenure.
That includes beating Miami (2022), Syracuse (2017), Missouri (2016), Georgia Tech (2012) and Maryland (2008, 2009). The win against Miami included a win over Kevin Steele, then the Hurricanes' defensive coordinator who is now in the same job with Alabama.
Players to note
Middle Tennessee's leading returning receiver from a season ago is DJ England-Chisolm, a 5-foot-8, 152-pound senior who caught 23 passes for 366 yards and four scores over nine games a season ago. Frank Peasant is the top returning leading rusher with 777 yards and nine rushing touchdowns with 11 scores total. Redshirt sophomore Nick Vattiato is expected to start at quarterback; he was a member of the CUSA all-freshman team and was offensive MVP in the Bahamas Bowl last season.
On defense, Teldrick Ross and Tra Fluellen are among the players to watch. Both are defensive backs who were named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list. A season ago, Fluellen had eight pass breakups and two interceptions. Ross tallied 20 pass breakups to go with two interceptions.
Score prediction
Alabama 49, Middle Tennessee 10: The Blue Raiders have proven they're not afraid of Power Five competition, but there's Power Five competition, and then there's playing Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide might have a few blemishes with it being the first game, but expect Alabama to win and win big.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football vs. Middle Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report
