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Alabama

Urban Meyer says Alabama 'still an enigma' ahead of Tennessee

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•10/19/23
Urban Meyer by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer looks on during the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal loss to Georgia this past New Year's Eve. Meyer was the coach of Ohio State from 2012-18. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)s)

Alabama remains in the thick of the SEC race, having only lost a non-conference game so far this season. But the Crimson Tide remain a bit of a mystery.

The team has been through a quarterback change and returned back to the original starter in Jalen Milroe. The squad has been very up and down from week to week.

“To me Alabama’s still an enigma,” Urban Meyer said on Urban’s Take with Tim May. “I thought they started getting better, they beat Ole Miss, they looked very good. Mississippi State, then they played Arkansas and they didn’t look very good again. I look at the numbers of the quarterback and just offensively they’re nowhere near what they were in the past.”

Milroe is averaging 232.8 yards per game through the air, while he’s thrown 11 touchdown passes against just four interceptions.

He’s been enough of a rushing threat to keep defenses honest, which should in theory open things up for the rest of the offense. It hasn’t always played out that way, despite Milroe’s insane athletic ability.

“You have great players, you have a great coach, head coach, and you have a great staff,” Meyer said. “That usually equates to a very good team and a team that gets better during the year. I’m worried about Alabama now a little bit, more than I was two weeks ago. Now you’re Week 6, 7, you’re into the season now and they should be a little better than they are. So I think they still are trying to figure things out.”

Alabama has already survived one very tricky conference game against Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide have two more upcoming that are likely to put them to the test, starting this weekend against Tennessee.

Last year’s game against the Volunteers was an instant classic, decided on a Tennessee field goal as time expired. It snapped a 15-game losing streak in the series.

But the shoe is on the other foot this time around.

“Tennessee has to go to Tuscaloosa, and that’s a tough go for them,” Meyer said. “I saw a stat where they haven’t won there in many, many years. Not many have. So I wouldn’t count Alabama out. But if they don’t start looking like Alabama I am going to worry about them.”