Top storylines heading into Alabama’s Week 3 matchup with South Florida
Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide will look to regroup and get back on the winning track this weekend when they take their first road trip of the 2023 season down to Tampa to take on the South Florida Bulls.
After this past weekend’s loss to Texas, Alabama will be licking its chops this week as they prepare for USF.
Alabama has a lot of question marks entering Week 3, some of which need to be addressed and answered rather quickly.
Now that we have officially entered South Florida game week, here are some of the top storylines to watch as the Crimson Tide looks to rebound.
The penalties
The lack of discipline on Saturday night is totally unacceptable. To commit 10 penalties in your own stadium is a complete lack of focus and preparedness. There’s no excuse for that number of penalties and if Alabama wants to accomplish anything this season, they better clean that up.
The line of scrimmage
Alabama got beat on both sides of the line of scrimmage against Texas and that is a recipe for disaster. Now, South Florida doesn’t have the horses that Texas does, so it’s time for the Tide to own the line of scrimmage against the Bulls.
USF offers a unique opportunity
South Florida head coach Alex Golesh may have a familiar name to some Tide fans. Golesh is in his first season as the Bulls’ head coach after being the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Volunteers under Josh Heupel. The Bulls will run a similar system as the Vols and will provide Alabama with an early look at that unique style of offense.
Will we see multiple Alabama quarterbacks?
I am sure the chatter all week will be about what Nick Saban is going to do about the quarterback situation in Tuscaloosa. Jalen Milroe has had moments where he has shined, and other moments that leave you scratching your head. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that we could see multiple quarterbacks against South Florida this weekend.
If Milroe is the guy, will the coaches scheme to his skillset?
It doesn’t take a football genius to realize that Jalen Milroe is still developing as a passer. His processing and decision-making are currently not his strengths so if he is the guy for Alabama moving forward, it’s up to the coaches to put him and the offense in the best possible position to have success. That means more designed QB runs, quicker pass plays, jets sweeps, and anything that allows Milroe to play within himself. If that isn’t the style Nick Saban and Tommy Rees want to play, then give someone else another shot. Football isn’t that complicated.
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