Coming off an emotional 31-13 win over LSU in Baton Rouge, Alabama is set up in a letdown spot this weekend in Nashville against Vanderbilt.
The memory of getting upset two years ago by the Commodores on the road is still fresh for Kalen DeBoer, his coaching staff, and the players who remain from that 2024 team.
Alabama got a boost with Wednesday's availability report listing Keelon Russell as probable after initial worry earlier in the week that he might not be able to play after injuring his ankle last weekend at LSU.
But even with Russell good to go this weekend, the Crimson Tide will still need some players outside of him and weekly stars to step up and make a big impact.
Here are four players who could be X-Factors for Alabama in Nashville:
EJ Crowell was listed as probable on Wednesday's availability report, but practice photos this week showed that he's still wearing a bulky brace on his knee, so I wouldn't expect him to have much, if any, of a role this weekend.
That leaves Daniel Hill and Trae'shawn Brown as the likely lead backs once again. Brown's workload has continued to increase, and he earned the start last weekend in Baton Rouge. It's clear the coaching staff trusts him a great deal.
I projected in our bold predictions this week that Brown would eclipse 100 yards on the ground for the first time in his career. Alabama will look to get the run game going, and with Russell less than 100%, I expect Brown to get a lot of touches.
Whether or not he takes advantage of those touches will determine Alabama's offensive success.
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With Josh Ford out for the season after suffering a knee injury against LSU last weekend, Alabama will need a TE to step up alongside Kaleb Edwards and Marshall Pritchett. Even as the fifth guy in the pecking order to open the season, Lindsey has seen a fair share of snaps and is likely the most comparable to Ford in Alabama's TE room.
Lindsey should see an increase in his workload, and with Alabama looking to establish the run, don't be surprised to see him line up as a fullback in the I-formation for a fair amount of snaps.
Vanderbilt is going to want to run the ball and throw quick passes this weekend. Anything they can do to elongate drives and keep the Alabama offense on the sideline, they're going to do. It's the same strategy they employed two years ago to pull the upset.
Alabama will need its defensive line to win at the point of attack to avoid the Commodores being able to nickel and dime their way down the field.
One of Alabama's most disruptive defensive linemen off the bench in recent weeks has been Isaia Faga. He's a big part of the rotation, and he was a big part of the reason Alabama had so much success up front last weekend:
Great rep by Isaia Faga here, penetration allows QB Reese to come down and clean it up. pic.twitter.com/meEkt54FdA
Alabama is going to have to account for Vanderbilt senior WR Junior Sherrill, who moves all over the formation. They've been using him a lot more this year in the slot, which could put Red Morgan in a spot to make a big impact on Saturday.
Morgan has been one of Alabama's most consistent defensive players the entire season. With the Tide seemingly having a big advantage at the line of scrimmage, Vanderbilt is going to call a lot of quicker passes to get the ball out of Jared Curtis' hands. Tackling on the perimeter will be important, and nobody is better at it in the Tide's secondary than Morgan.
This feels like the type of game where the junior makes a huge play or two.
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