Know thy enemy: Nick Kelly of AL.com previews Alabama ahead of Week 9 matchup vs. Mizzou

No. 21 Missouri will travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, after its tight victory against Auburn to face Alabama at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Alabama (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) is returning to Bryant-Denny Stadium after suffering a 24-17 defeat versus Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Mizzou (6-1, 2-1) will look for its first win against a struggling Crimson Tide program since 1975.

Nick Kelly, who covers the Crimson Tide for AL.com, provided insight on the team ahead of this weekend’s matchup.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: How are the feelings around Tuscaloosa heading into this weekend? Is there an uneasy feeling in the air with losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee?

I think right now there's a little bit of shock, just because Alabama is not used to having two losses before November. That hasn't happened since 2007, which was Nick Saban's first season. So, I think that people are adjusting to that and even just adjusting to what college football is right now, where you never know who's going to win any weekend. Just when Texas is looking like the No. 1 team, they get kind of beat badly by Georgia at home. It's so hard to predict what's going to happen. I think that Alabama fans are so used to dominance under Nick Saban for many, many years, that it's hard to adjust to the idea that every game could be a tough game in the SEC. So, it's an adjustment. I think some fans are realizing that, and it's just going to take some time to get used to that.

Q: How has the team and culture shifted under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer's leadership this season?

DeBoer is a calm, level-headed coach. In some ways, some of the things with the team haven't changed. Yeah, there are differences, but there also are some things that are very similar, and that's partly because DeBoer kept a lot of the same staff that Saban had in terms of support staff and some of the people who make the program go. I think that there are differences, but there are also a lot of similarities.

Q: What has gone right and wrong for Alabama this season?

Right now, of course, the focus is on what's gone wrong because of the recent losses. But before this recent "slump" of essentially two losses in three weeks, Alabama was clicking in a lot of ways. They were setting Jalen up for success. He was looking the most confident and poised I had seen him look in his career. He looked fantastic against Georgia. His completion percentage was 81.8%, and that first half they had against Georgia was incredible. They took advantage of the plays Georgia's defense made and the offense capitalized on it. The offense just kind of rolled ahead, picked apart Georgia, and they were up big just like that. Second half wasn't as strong, but they still found a way.

Alabama's got some playmakers. They've got (quarterback) Jalen Milroe, they've got (wide receiver) Ryan Williams, they've got (wide receiver) Germie Bernard. They've got guys like that who can just impress and do some things that maybe surprise you. But then in terms of things that they've struggled with of late, it's discipline, it's penalties. They're one of the most penalized teams in the country. That's not a new problem with Kalen DeBoer. It happened under Nick Saban's team in the last couple of years too, but it's still a problem this season, and it's cost Alabama some big moments. (Wide receiver) Kendrick Law had a personal foul called on him in the final minutes of the game against Tennessee that changed a fourth-and-7 into a fourth-and-22. You can't have that. You're going to have the penalties that hurt you just from basically playing the game — maybe you'd call them effort penalties — those are inevitable at times. The emotional discipline is so key for Alabama right now to make sure they have that, because there's just not room for error in that way. They can't afford that right now, and so those discipline issues, in a lot of ways, have turned a fairly talented and team with elite potential into one that has looked kind of average as of late. It's so key that they get that discipline back to where it needs to be. And there's football fixes too that need to be addressed, but I think the biggest thing is making sure that they're paying attention to details and that they are staying disciplined.

Q: What is Alabama's strongest position group? What about the weakest?

I think the recency bias of struggle (makes) it's harder to think of which is the best one right now. I would still say the receivers can be the best one, just because of the talent you have in Ryan Williams and Jerry Bernard and on top of that, they have other guys who can be good, they've just been kind of inconsistent behind them. Across the board, there have been some struggles of late in different groups.

In terms of the one that has been the biggest weakness, or just the one with the most question marks right now, is the secondary. The secondary right now is banged up, but had a lot of young guys back there. There are some talented guys, but they're having to play a lot of young guys because that position, more than any, got decimated after Saben retired. Part of that was guys going to the draft: "Kool-Aid" McKinstry and Terrion Arnold, their two starting cornerbacks, both went high in the NFL Draft. But then they also lost Caleb Downs to Ohio State in the transfer portal. They lost Trey Amos, who's probably going to be a starting cornerback at Ole Miss. Not that any of them were terribly experienced, but they at least spent a little time in college whereas now, Alabama's got multiple freshmen that are playing: Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe, Red Morgan. Just a few guys that are basically fresh, and they've got some experience this season, but still they're very young and they're new. They're talented, they make plays, but also they just aren't that experienced. So I think that has shown up at times. It's something to continue to watch.

Q: Missouri's offensive coordinator Kirby Moore worked with DeBoer at Fresno State, and Missouri defensive coordinator Corey Batoon was Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's DC at South Alabama. Do you expect to see any similarities in scheme Saturday?

I think that you might see some similarities or some echoes per se, but different people are running different schemes. There might be some common things you see, but at the same time, these are different people. I'm not expecting an identical thing. I think maybe it helps a little bit in prep for each, but I don't know that it's a massive deal.

Q: What will have to happen for Missouri to leave Tuscaloosa with a win for the first time since 1975?

I would say that they need to get after Jalen Milroe because he's much better when he's not under pressure than when he has been. At least that was the way the Tennessee game went. So make sure he's uncomfortable, and also get big plays down the field against the secondary. We saw Tennessee not be able to connect on some long passes, and if they had, it could have been very ugly for Alabama very quickly. So if Brady Cook can find Luther Burden and Theo Wease and other folks downfield, that's obviously a strength for Missouri, and a way that you could target Alabama. Again, the secondary is banged up right now with guys being hurt and nursing injuries and different things. So I think that's probably your best way to success.

Q: What are some local spots in Tuscaloosa that Missouri fans should visit?

There's some of the classics, like Dreamland BBQ. Then you've got the Waysider for breakfast. You've got Rama Jama's right next to the stadium, which is a good, iconic breakfast spot. But for maybe some newer options per se, Heat Pizza Bar is really good. You've got Heritage House Coffee & Tea, which has good coffee and a nice bakery. Southern Ale House is another good lunch or dinner spot. Those are a few classic options, and then Archibald and Woodrow's BBQ is another classic option in Northport, which is right next to Tuscaloosa. Those are some classic options mixed with a few newer options.

Q: What is your score prediction for the game? Who will be Alabama's MVP?

I think Alabama is going to win by 10. Something like, I want to say 34-24. I think that maybe it's not a score that big, but I think Alabama wins by 10.

And MVP, I'm going to say Jalen Milroe. I think maybe he can bounce back at home with the home crowd and just have a really good game and try to bounce back from some recent struggles.