After back-to-back road trips against ranked opponents, Alabama returns to Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend as it hosts FCS foe Austin Peay, on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
The matchup will mark the first game between the two programs. The Crimson Tide is looking to wrap up a perfect non-conference slate after beating Utah State (55-0), Texas (20-10) and Lousiana-Monroe (63-7) earlier this season.
Here’s a look at a few key numbers heading into the matchup.
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According to Pro Football Focus, Alabama right tackle J.C. Latham didn’t allow a single quarterback pressure against Ole Miss over the weekend. It was the seventh time in 10 starts he has kept a clean sheet in pass protection this season.
Outside of a forgettable performance against LSU where he allowed seven pressures, Latham has been near flawless when it comes to keeping Alabama’s quarterbacks clean. His only other two allowed pressures came against Utah State and Louisiana-Monroe early in the season.
Latham is Alabama’s highest-graded pass blocker, earning an 86.0 grade while not allowing a sack over 416 pass-blocking snaps.
“I feel like ultimately, I’ve done a lot of great things, but I feel like I’ve grown the most as far as my maturity goes, understanding the game,” Latham said of his first season as a starter. “Nothing beats in-game reps. As high-intensity as practices are, you can’t really replicate the game experience. I think that the one thing that I did improve on is just understanding when you get into the game, just slow it down a little bit, play loose and just play like you’re comfortable playing.”
