PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Damien Harris, a senior, led the way with 111 rushing yards on 15 carries last week against Arkansas. On Alabama’s first drive of the second half, Harris accounted for all 44 yards, including runs of 18 and 19 yards. He punched the ball into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1 after a replay review. “Being that close to the end zone, your mindset it to get in at all costs,” he said.
–QB Tua Tagovailoa has directed 44 drives this season, 31 of which have ended in touchdowns and two more in field goals. In those 44 drives, the Tide has converted 21 of 31 third-down chances. Tagovailoa is just as good, if not better, in three games vs. the SEC, completing 43 of 58 passes for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns for an efficiency rating of 263.12. He has yet to play in the fourth quarter this season.
–TE Irv Smith Jr. helped set the tone last week when the junior turned a short pass into a 76-yard touchdown on Alabama’s first possession vs. Arkansas. He’s another weapon among a loaded receiving corps that includes Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith.
–LB Dylan Moses, along with Mack Wilson, hold down the inside linebacker spots in Alabama’s defense. Moses has 34 tackles this season, including 5.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks.
–DL Isaiah Buggs, a senior, has a team-high six sacks after being known more as a run enforcer. NFLDraftScout.com senior analyst Rob Rang wrote: “What Buggs may lack in quick-twitch explosiveness off the snap he makes up for with power and tenacity.”
SERIES HISTORY: Alabama leads Missouri 3-2, and this will be the first meeting in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has won three in a row, with the last meeting being a 42-13 win in the 2014 SEC Championship Game.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We always say that’s our goal, that if we want to air it out and sit back and thrown, we want to be able to do that, and if we want to shove it down your throat that’s something that we want to be able to do also.” — Alabama LT Jonah Williams, on the Tide’s offense
