Alabama returns to SEC play this week as it hosts Ole Miss on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 in the SEC) is coming off a 49-7 victory over Southern Miss, while the Rebels (2-2, 1-0) are fresh off a heartbreaking 28-20 defeat to California.
Ole Miss is the last team to beat Alabama inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, defeating the Crimson Tide 43-37 in 2015. Alabama has won 28 straight home games since then. The Crimson Tide is currently a 35.5-point favorite for this week’s game, according to VagaInsider.com.
Today, we will break down where the Crimson Tide stands heading into Week 5 of the season by providing three observations, two questions and one prediction.
THREE OBSERVATIONS
Deonte Brown will have to fight for his starting job
After serving out the final game of his NCAA suspension last week, Deonte Brown is finally eligible to make his season debut for Alabama. The 6-foot-4, 338-pound offensive lineman started five games at left guard last season but missed Alabama’s playoff run as well as the first four games of this season due to suspension.
While the redshirt junior could be the answer to Alabama’s inconsistent run game, he’ll first need to earn back his starting spot.
“The plan for every player on our team is the guy’s got to beat someone out if he wants to play,” head coach Nick Saban said during his Monday news conference. “I mean, nobody’s entitled to play. If he gets in shape, he does what he’s supposed to do, he shows he’s better than somebody else who’s playing, that’s the plan. Just like it’s the plan for every other guy on the team. That’s really kind of up to him. It’s not up to me.
Brown has practiced with Alabama this season despite not being able to play. He was in action during Monday’s viewing period during practice, but Alabama did not reveal its order during that time. The Crimson Tide starting offensive line has recently featured Alex Leatherwood, Evan Neal, Chris Owens, Landon Dickerson and Jedrick Wills Jr. from left to right.
