Roll Tide Wire staff predictions for Alabama vs Southern Miss

Alabama closes out the month of September with a home matchup against Southern Miss. Check out the Roll Tide Wire’s staff predictions here.

Alabama closes out the month of September with a home matchup against Southern Miss. Coming off two big wins against Miami and Florida, Nick Saban will be looking to fine-tune his squad against the Golden Eagles before heading into full-time SEC play.

Bryce Young and the offense will be focusing on getting their run game back to the standard we have seen in Tuscaloosa. Brian Robinson Jr. is considered day-to-day with a bruised rib injury suffered against Florida. Jase McClellan and Trey Sanders should get most of the carries.

On the defensive side of the ball, it should be a successful day. Southern Miss has only managed to put up an average of 17.7 points in their first three games. Linebackers Christian Harris and Henry To’oto’o will be looking to have bounceback games.

At the end of the day, not a lot will come out of Saturday’s matchup. A ton of guys buried in the depth chart will have the opportunity to get playing time. Staying healthy and getting in a good mindset for Ole Miss will be the goal.

Staff predicts the game

Alabama (-45.5) Record ATS Winner Record Overall
AJ Spurr Alabama 0-0 Alabama 0-0
Griffin McVeigh Alabama 0-0 Alabama 0-0
Stacey Blackwood 0-0 0-0
Layne Gerbig 0-0 0-0

AJ Spurr

After the Mercer game, I thought the team would have shaped up when they took on Florida. Not only was I wrong, but I was very wrong. After a near-loss against the Gators and a sloppy win against an FCS opponent a few weeks ago, I think this game is the perfect opportunity for both the offense and defense to show some discipline and get it together before they begin the gauntlet that waits ahead.

Bryce Young has been the center of a lot of questions this past week. Is he able to make good decisions mid-play? Can he mature in time for the heavy-hitters on the schedule like Ole Miss and Texas A&M? This is his opportunity to answer them without saying a word.

Alabama 56, Southern Miss 0

Griffin McVeigh

In still having Tua PTSD, I do not fully hate the route Ohio State is taking with C.J. Stroud this weekend. He is considered the emergency quarterback will the two backups split playing time. Seeing Bryce Young go down in a game against Southern Miss obviously not be good.

But Saban is going to play him because what do I know? The answer: Nothing.

I’m more interested in seeing how some of the younger guys fair. Seeing JoJo Earle get more involved early would be nice. Drew Sanders going against inferior competition should give us a better idea about how he fits in with the defense as well.

Alabama 59, Southern Miss 7

Stacey Blackwood

Questions have been raised since last Saturday’s performance against Florida. What’s wrong with the defense? Where is the running game? Does this team have what it takes to win a championship?

While Alabama can’t completely answer all of these questions in this game, I believe the Tide will play its most complete game of the young season and easily handle the Golden Eagles.

Alabama 56, Southern Miss 7

Layne Gerbig

Southern Miss will try to utilize their mobile QB and outside run game to beat the Alabama defense to either edge. Running back Frank Gore jr. has good enough talent to test the front seven. It will be a good chance to see if the Tide’s run defense has improved since last Saturday. USM doesn’t have much of a passing game.
Expect Alabama touchdowns often. I don’t think the Golden Eagle defense is capable of stopping the Crimson Tide. Freshmen will get a chance to shine by mid-3rd quarter.

Alabama 52, Southern Miss 13

All Betting Lines are courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.