North Texas: Another Chance for Alabama to Shape Up Before Conference Play

Alabama is only a few days removed from passing its first test in Happy Valley. The results were good, but more needs to be done.

Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, they have another dress rehearsal before Arkansas comes to town to start conference play. This is just another opportunity to get young players game experience, while fine tuning the well-tested cogs in this Alabama machine.

Quarterback Play

Once again you will more than likely see A.J. McCarron trotting out on the field first against North Texas, but being the type of game that it is we'll probably see a lot of Phillip Sims. The question is: Will it be every two series again like it was against Kent State?

Sims needs to get his feet steady and find some comfort in the pocket. His talent is evident, but he looked very green against an inferior opponent in Week 1.

McCarron just needs to take another step forward. He played with poise and patience against Penn State, but against North Texas it would be nice to see those attributes coupled with a bit more command when considering the opponent.

Is Trent Richardson Going to Break Out?

When will the beast become unleashed? I think we all expected it against Kent State, but for whatever reason it never happened. Trent had a solid, grind-it-out performance in State College, but where is the big play?

As Alabama juggles it's offensive line look for that mix to settle down and finally dominate the line of scrimmage. I'd expect their ground game to bust loose against the Mean Green.

Also, look for more chances for Cyrus Kouandjio at left tackle. The true freshmen was pretty impressive in his first appearance against Kent State, but I'd expect to see extended playing time for him this weekend.

A Beefed Up Receiving Corp?

Ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome back Darius Hanks! Finally, No. 15 will be back for Alabama and hopefully he'll have a a partner in Duron Carter, but don't hold your breath on the latter as we may see a new chapter in "As the Transcript Turns."

Even without Hanks and Carter, the Tide receivers have performed well. Marquis Maze has been his spectacular self, but there's been solid play from DeAndrew White, Kevin Norwood, Brandon Gibson, and tight end Michael Williams. Adding Hanks and Carter will only spread the challenge of opponents' defenses as they line up against Alabama.

The Tide defense just needs to keep trucking. The first exam is in the books, but big-boy football is right around the corner. At this point I would say the progression of Alabama's offense is going well and I'd expect it take another leap forward on Saturday.