Florida Atlantic vs. Alabama: Complete Game Preview

After going on the road and dispatching Arkansas in last weekend’s 52-0 win in their SEC opener, the Alabama Crimson Tide will return home to face Florida Atlantic on Saturday. 

It is the second consecutive home date against an opponent from the Sun Belt Conference. 

Nick Saban’s club will face an Owls program in transition under new head coach Carl Pelini—one that has lost all seven of its meeting against SEC schools by an average of 30 points per game. 

What can Tide fans expect to see this weekend?

Find out in this complete game preview of the matchup between the Owls and the Tide.  

Game-Day Info

Who: Florida Atlantic at Alabama

When: Saturday, 5 p.m. (EDT)

Where: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Stadium: Bryant-Denny Stadium, (101,821)

TV: ESPN GamePlan, PPV for AL & FL Residents via Crimson Tide Sports Network

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network, Sirius/XM Channel 91

Internet Stream: ESPN3

Depth Chart for Alabama

Offense

LT – 71 – Cyrus Kouandijo, SO (6’6”, 311)

63 – Kellen Williams, JR (6’3”, 303)

LG – 65 – Chance Warmack, SR (6’3”, 320)

Chad Lindsay, SO (6’2”, 290)

C – 75 – Barrett Jones, SR (6’5”, 302)

70 – Ryan Kelly, FR (6’5”, 288)

RG – 61 – Anthony Steen, JR (6’3”, 303)

77 – Arie Kouandijo, SO (6’5, 310)

RT – 76 – D.J. Fluker, JR (6’6”, 335)

79 – Austin Shepherd, SO (6’5”, 312)

TE – 89 – Michael Williams, SR (6’6”, 269)

84 – Brian Vogler, SO (6’7”, 258)

H – 31 – Kelly Johnson, SR (6’3”, 230)

82 – Harrison Jones, SO (6’4”, 244)

21 – Brent Calloway, FR (6’1”, 217)

QB – 10 – AJ McCarron, JR (6’4”, 205)

12 – Phillip Ely, FR (6’1”, 198)

RB – 42 – Eddie Lacy, JR (6’0”, 220)

4 – T.J. Yeldon, FR (6’2”, 216)

1 – Dee Hart, FR (5’9”, 190)

WR (X) – 2 – DeAndrew White, SO (6’0”, 185)

9 – Amari Cooper, FR (6’1”, 198)

80 – Marvin Shinn, FR (6’3”, 198)

WR (Z) – 83 – Kevin Norwood, JR (6’2”, 195)

7 – Kenny Bell, JR (6’1”, 180)

WR (H) – 22 – Christion Jones, SO (5’11, 185)

8 – Cyrus Jones, FR (5’10”, 192)

Defense

DE – 49 – Ed Stinson, JR (6’4”, 282)

8 – Jeoffrey Pagan, SO (6’4”, 285)

NG – 54 – Jesse Williams, SR (6’4”, 320)

62 – Brandon Ivory, SO (6’4”, 315)

DE – 92 – Damion Square, SR (6’3”, 286)

90 – Quinton Dial, SR (6’6”, 304)

Sam OLB – 42 – Adrian Hubbard, SO (6’6”, 248)

19 – Jonathan Atchison, JR (6’3”, 236)

Mike ILB – 33 – Trey Depriest, SO (6’2”, 245), or 35 – Nico Johnson, SR (6’3”, 245)

18 – Reggie Ragland, FR (6’2”, 247)

Will ILB – 35 – Nico Johnson, SR (6’3”, 245). or 32 – C.J. Mosley, JR (6’2”, 232)

11 – Tana Patrick, JR (6’3”, 236)

Jack OLB – 47 – Xzavier Dickson, SO (6’3”, 262)

30 – Denzel Devall, FR (6’2”, 243)

CB – 28 – Dee Milliner, JR (6’1”, 199)

10 – John Fulton, JR (6’0”, 187)

CB – 13 – Deion Belue, JR (5’11”, 179)

24 – Geno Smith, FR (6’0”, 182)

SS – 37 – Robert Lester, SR (6’2”, 210)

27 – Nick Perry, JR (6’1”, 208)

FS – 3 – Vinnie Sunseri, SO (6’0”, 215), or 6 – HaHa Clinton-Dix, SO (6’1”, 209)

26 – Landon Collins, FR (6’0”, 202)

Special Teams

PK – 5 – Jeremy Shelley, SR (5’10”, 165), or 43 – Cade Foster, JR (6’1, 218)

Kickoffs – 43 – Cade Foster, JR (6’1”, 218)

Holder – 10 – AJ McCarron, JR (6’4”, 210)

3 – Vinnie Sunseri, SO (6’0”, 215)

P – 29 – Cody Mandell, JR (6’4”, 202)

5 – Jeremy Shelley, SR (5’10”, 165)

LS – 51 – Carson Tinker, SR (6’1”, 220)

31 – Kelly Johnson, SR (6’3”, 230)

PR – 22 – Christion Jones, SO (5’11”, 185)

1 – Dee Hart, FR (5’9”, 190)

KR – 22 – Christion Jones, SO (5’11”, 185)

1 – Dee Hart, FR (5’9”, 190)

28 – Dee Milliner, JR (6’1”, 199)

83 – Kevin Norwood, JR (6’2”, 195)

Depth Chart for Florida Atlantic

Offense

WR (X) – 87 – Byron Hankerson, SR (6’1”, 180)

88 – Jenson Stoshak, FR (6’1”, 176)

WR (W) – 8 – Daniel McKinney, JR (6’0”, 205)

WR (Z) – 83 – Marcus Cunningham, SO (6’0”, 175)

19 – William Dukes, SO (6’4”, 190)

TE – 9 – Nexon Dorvilus, JR (6’4”, 230)

84 – Alex Deleon, SO (6’4”, 210)

LT – 63 – DeAndre Williams, JR (6’5”, 290)

70 – Robert Nasiff, FR (6’4”, 265)

LG – 56 – Andrew Czuprynski, SR (6’5”, 270)

79 – Jordan Sessa, SR (6’5”, 280)

C – 50 – Jimmie Colley, JR (6’3”, 295)

58 – Mustafa Johnson, JR (6’3”, 295)

RG – 53 – Ricardo Henry, SR (6’4”, 300)

73 – Mike Marsaille, FR (6’5”, 300)

74 – Stern Vile, JR (6’5”, 335)

RT – 55 – Joseph Bailey, SR (6’5”, 290)

65 – Vinny Davino, FR (6’5”, 260)

71 – Christopher Chappell, JR (6’9”, 320)

QB – 14 – Graham Wilbert, SR (6’6”, 225)

10 – Stephen Curtis, SO (6’3”, 225)

RB – 22 – Damian Fortner, JR (5’10”, 200)

25 – Travis Jones, JR (5’11”, 190)

Defense

LE – 94 – Andrew Stryffeler, SO (6’4”, 243)

59 – Robinson Eugene, FR (6’5”, 263)

DT – 96 – Jimmy Jean, SR (6’2”, 290)

95 – Kayvon Sherrill, JR (6’3”, 279)

DT – 48 – Trevon Coley, FR (6’2”, 225)

98 – Brandin Bryant, FR (6’2”, 260)

RE – 31 – Cory Henry, JR (6’3”, 238)

5 – Martin Wright, SR (6’4”, 250)

OLB – 15 – Randell Johnson, JR (6’4”, 230)

46 – Blake Nehls, SO (6’2”, 215)

MLB – 45 – Andrae Kirk, SO (6’2”, 235)

15 – Randell Johnson, JR (6’4”, 230)

OLB – 11 – David Hinds, SR (6’2”, 234)

4 – Adarius Glanton, JR (6’1”, 215)

CB – 3 – Keith Reaser, JR (6’0”, 190)

6 – Demetrius Williamson, SR (6’0”, 195)

SS – 24 – Brent Harstad, SR (6’1”, 189)

17 – Damian Parms, SO (6’2”, 195)

FS – 26 – Jeremy McKnight, JR (5’10”, 180)

37 – David Loziandier, SO (6’0”, 210)

CB – 21 – D’Joun Smith, SO (5’11”, 175)

29 – Sherrod Neasman, FR (6’0”, 190)

Nickel – 18 – Christian Milstead, JR (5’10”, 170)

Special Teams

K – 39 – Vinny Zaccario, SR (5’11”, 180)

16 – Sean Kelley, FR (5’10”, 186)

P – 16 – Sean Kelley, FR (5’10”, 186)

38 – Joey Silvani, FR (6’1”, 180)

KOF – 16 – Sean Kelley, FR (5’10”, 186)

42 – Mitch Anderson, JR (5’11”, 186)

LS – 54 – Tim Raber, SR (6’2”, 185)

60 – Trevor Citek, FR (6’0”, 220)

PR – 3 – Keith Reaser, JR (6’0”, 190)

25 – Travis Jones, JR (5’11”, 190)

KR – 25 – Travis Jones, JR (5’11”, 190)

21 – D’Joun Smith, SO (5’11”, 175)

What Happened to the Crimson Tide Last Week

Alabama’s Week 3 visit to Arkansas went from a matchup perceived to be between serious contenders in the SEC West and turned into a 52-0 slaughter in favor of the defending national champions. 

The Tide recorded its second consecutive shutout, and the defense has not surrendered any points for nine consecutive quarters. 

The win moved Alabama to 3-0 and the Tide were able to maintain the top spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls’.  

What Happened to the Owls Last Week

The Owls took the first of consecutive road trips to SEC powerhouses, and hung with No. 7 Georgia for a half before falling 56-20. 

Pelini’s defense allowed the Bulldogs to roll up a Georgia school-record 713 yards of total offense.

FAU has never beaten a ranked opponent—losing its 10 such meetings by an average of 39 points. 

The loss dropped the Owls to 1-2 this season.  

What It Means to Both Teams

This is another typical non-conference mismatch between a powerhouse and a cupcake. 

The powerhouse school gets an easy win while the cupcake gets a fat check and a merciless beating. 

For Alabama, this will be another chance for Saban to evaluate the back end of his roster and get more young players some experience. 

On the other hand, Pelini’s club will try to compete hard for four quarters without losing any key contributors before entering the meat of its conference schedule.  

Key Player for Alabama

FAU allowed nearly 26 yards per completion against Georgia—which means Alabama could have a field day through the air. 

Freshman receiver Amari Cooper recorded the first touchdown grab of his career against Arkansas, and this game should provide him with a golden opportunity to build on last week’s solid performance and showcase his ability to make big plays down the field. 

The receiver unit is deep with talent and experience, but Cooper’s continued development could provide quarterback A.J. McCarron a dynamic go-to option moving forward.  

Key Player for Florida Atlantic

The strength of FAU’s team resides in its linebacker segment on defense—with senior David Hinds anchoring the middle of the Owls 4-3 scheme. 

The 6’2”, 234-pound senior leads FAU with 28 tackles on the season—an average of slightly less than 10 tackles per game. 

Hinds—who has already forced a pair of fumbles in 2012—is a player that Alabama’s offense will have to identify before every snap.  

Alabama Will Win If ...

Considering that the Tide enter this game as 51-point favorites, its safe to assume that Alabama will win just by showing up on time (h/t, Andrew Gribble, al.com).

Even though the Sun Belt Conference has enjoyed a recent run of success against the SEC—with teams like Louisiana-Monroe and Western Kentucky knocking off SEC schools earlier this season—the Tide are expected to roll over the hapless Owls with relative ease.   

Florida Atlantic Will Win If ...

The Owls would win if they could bring back former star running back Alfred Morris—who is enjoying a breakout season as a rookie with the Redskins—and his current teammates along with him. 

To say an Owls victory would be the biggest upset in the history of the sport may be understating things. 

This game will be a mismatch from the opening kickoff.  

Prediction

Entering a lean portion of the schedule, Alabama is unlikely to face a significant challenge until October rolls around. 

The main intrigue in the Tide’s second home contest of the young season will be to see if Alabama’s defense can earn its third consecutive shutout. 

While that is a real possibility considering that FAU ranks 105th nationally in total offense, the Tide may show enough mercy to allow the Owls at least one opportunity to put a dent in the scoreboard. 

Prediction:  Alabama 59, Florida Atlantic 3

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