The Alabama Crimson Tide moved into the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings after they defeated Mississippi State last week in a 25-20 win. Nick Saban was quick to praise the team's high energy throughout the game, something he believed made all the difference in the win, but noted the team still had a long way to go in the season. He is right as the Tide prepares to battle Auburn in the Iron Bowl in the final week of the season, but first they face Western Carolina in a homecoming game.
Alabama got the win over the then-top-ranked Bulldogs thanks to clutch plays on offense and strong defense that forced Dak Prescott into bad throws and decisions all game. Things were looking questionable after Prescott threw a touchdown with 22 seconds left in the game. The Bulldogs went for the on-side kick which was recovered by Alabama and the game was over.
Quarterback Blake Sims gets the credit in the game for leading Alabama on a final scoring drive where he converted two third-and-long situations into first downs with rushing plays. It set up a clutch Amari Cooper catch and a TJ Yeldon 8-yard touchdown. Sims finished the day going 19 of 31 in passing for 211 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile the defense forced Prescott to throw three interceptions as he holds on to a Heisman campaign.
With a big game on the horizon, the Tide must first get past Western Carolina in their homecoming matchup. Injuries have been present, but the team confident everyone should be available to play including TJ Yeldon, DeAndrew White and Adam Griffith nursing injuries.
Alabama has good history against Western Carolina. In three meetings, the Tide have outscored the Catamounts 153-6 since 2004. There are coming off a 42-27 win against VMI. Quarterback Troy Mitchell threw for 339 yards while rushing for 109 yards with six touchdowns.