Alabama Football: Previewing the Kent State Game, What to Watch for

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer)

There's really nothing you need to know about Kent State other than they'll need lots of Ben Gay after the game. They pose absolutely no threat to Alabama on offense or defense or special teams.

But with that said, there is still a lot to preview in this game from the Alabama side of things.

In this game, Saban will both tip his hand which way open position battles are leaning. The people who will get the honored starting position and the way those players perform may well indicate whether they have that same honor the next week, when the opponent is much tougher and the outcome more in jeopardy.

A sportswriter won't make a lot of fans and accolades trying to predict Saban's mind when it comes to open position battles but let me make the following guesses into what may occur.

You may see Cyrus Kouandjio lined up as left tackle to see what he can do and how well it "fits" at this point in his career. Saban has been singing his praises in practice, and the staff would really love to keep Barrett Jones where he does his best work.

That job may be Cyrus' to lose if he does a good job and against Kent State, I expect him to do a good job.

The next two games will have two new receivers who need to step up. One of the reasons that Saban does so well in recruiting is that he keeps his promise that if you can prove you belong on the field as a freshman, you'll get to play.

One of them will see that promise kept. Look for DeAndrew White to take Darius Hanks position as he sits out the first two games due the medical redshirt issue from a few years back.

White has been making the plays in practice and has caught everything but the flu, and it will be fun to see him playing all wide eyed in front of 100,000-plus.

On the other receiver, with Duron Carter still nowhere in sight; that position could be run by committee to see if someone steps up.

There's a bevy of people who can do so but look for Saban to lean toward one of the bigger, more physical type receivers. Those are players like Kevin Norwood, Michael Bowman and Brandon Gibson.

If someone can separate themselves from the others in this game, it could go far to cementing that role for themselves.

Lastly on offense, look for A.J. McCarron to get the opening snap but play to be divided somewhat equally this first game. Saban intends to let this play out and more or less let the winner crown themselves.

While the fans won't have the final decision by what they see on game day alone, it will be a big factor. This is the most highly-anticipated battle in years and will be fun to watch as well.

On defense, they'll be a lot to watch as substitutions will be fast and furious all day long.

Though the position battles are almost all settled over on that side of the ball, there are some things to watch for.

Josh Chapman has the nose guard position nailed down for now, so expect to see Jesse Williams play a little backup there as well as from the end position. It wouldn't surprise me if you even saw him line up a play or two at linebacker.

He is just a disruptive force that the coaches know can be sprung from almost anywhere, so as a little first game fun, keep up with all the different places he'll line up at.

Speaking of defensive ends, you'll see a lot of guys taking turns there. Who ever leads the stats may have a shot at keeping that job. Expect to see at least five different guys playing defensive end this week.

The other thing you should expect to see is total defensive pride. A shut out against this team is expected, and should they not provide that, there will be disappointment. This team wants a place in history and history judges defensive units on total points allowed.

So look for the no mercy rule to be in effect here.

Lastly, can this group of special team specialists do like Leigh Tiffin and put his bad first season behind him and finish their career in glory?

The Tide coaching staff certainly hopes so.