University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Alabama Will Present Usual Tough Challenge
9/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Alabama Will Present Usual Tough Challenge
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Miss Tuesday continued to prepare for its first road game of the season, a 6 p.m., Saturday game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Head Coach Jeff Bower says the Crimson Tide will present problems his Golden Eagles have not faced in the first three games of the season.
"This will be the best team we've played so far," he said. "We'll be challenged because we'll be playing against a lot of good athletes. It definitely will be the best offensive line we've faced this season. Defensively, they've done a good job of shutting down the run, and they're solid in the kicking game, as they always are.
"They're just a typical Alabama team that is playing well."
Bower also says his team will make some changes but will not get far away from what the Golden Eagles do best. "You always do some things differently," he said. "You do that every week, but I think we have a chance to have a good football team, we've played well so far, and you hang your hat on what got you there."
Alabama brings a 2-1 record into the game. That record includes a 37-27 loss to Oklahoma, but in that game, the Tide held the Sooners to a mere minus-23 yards rushing. Alabama owns victories over Middle Tennessee State (39-34) and North Texas (33-7). In those three games, the Tide has averaged almost 420 yards of total offense, while limiting the opposition to just under 270 yards a game.
Southern Miss and Alabama have played 38 times previously, with the Tide leading in the series, 30-6-2. The Golden Eagles last won two years ago when they shut down Alabama for a 21-0 victory in Birmingham, Ala.
Southern Miss is scheduled to depart Hattiesburg mid-morning Friday, lunch in Meridian, and work out at Alabama mid-afternoon, before moving on to Birmingham to spend Friday night.
This game is the first of three-straight road games that will see the Eagles go from Alabama, to West Point, N.Y. (Army), to Tampa, Fla. (South Florida), before finally returning home for an Oct. 19 homecoming game against Cincinnati.
