The Duke Football team will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday and the Tide had a very important offseason and training camp after last year’s disappointment.
The Duke Blue Devils and the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide will kickoff in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff on Saturday and things don’t seem to be trending in Duke’s favor.
This will be Alabama’s first game since a 28-point loss to the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship last year and the Tide are out for revenge this season and the Blue Devils are lined up to be their first victim.
More from Ball Durham
- Duke basketball: The architect behind digital dominance
- Duke basketball prioritizing frontcourt prospects in 2025
- Duke basketball: Unmasking the hate for the Blue Devils
- Duke basketball: Countdown to Craziness lands another huge visitor
- Duke basketball fills final open scholarship
The team here at Ball Durham was able to catch up with Ronald Evans of Bama Hammer, the FanSided Alabama site, for a Q&A session prior to Saturday’s game.
Q: We all know how last season ended for Alabama, but how were things this off-season in Tuscaloosa?
A: The off-season was about the same as previous ones when a Nick Saban team did not win a national championship. A thorough beat-down by Clemson caused concern for fans but Saban had seen weaknesses in the team all season.
Q: What will be the biggest change from last season to this season for Alabama?
A: The biggest change is probably the performance of the coaching staff. Turnover has hurt the program and last season Saban may have staffed with so much emphasis on recruiting ability, actual coaching talent was diminished. In most position groups, players should receive better coaching this season.
Q: How was training camp for Alabama? Any injures of note?
A: Losing freshman running back Trey Sanders and 5th-year senior, new starting inside linebacker, Josh McMillon are the big losses. A few guys are coming out of camp, at less than full speed. Most position groups have better depth than last season.
Q: It seems like Alabama has half of its roster selected in each year of the NFL Draft, who are some players to be on the look out for that Duke fans may not have heard of yet?
A: The Tide has a very young roster and many first or second year players are expected to contribute to the two-deep or higher. True freshman Evan Neal may start at guard. Another freshman, D.J. Dale was locked in as starting defensive tackle, until he twisted his knee. He should still play but may not be 100 percent. Sophomore Josh Jobe will likely start at cornerback. True freshman Will Reichard will hopefully be a major upgrade at placekicker. Replacing the injured McMillon, another true freshman, Christian Harris probably starts at inside linebacker. Overall, the roster might have more talent than last season.
Q: This is the first game since a 28-point loss for Alabama, is there any weakness in this team that Duke can attack to try and keep this game close?
A: We know Duke will be well prepared by David Cutcliffe. The difference in talent should mean the Tide staff can call a pretty vanilla game. There is not much to gain by showing too much in week one. Going back to 2008, with only rare exceptions, for a Saban team to lose, it must in many ways beat itself. The game could be a little sloppy for the Tide for two reasons. One is Saban hates to run up a score. The other is lots of less experienced players will see the field. Searching for a weakness that could lead to a close game is a challenge.
We’d like to thank Ronald Evans for his time and remind you that you can watch Duke and Alabama at 3:30pm EST on ABC in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff on Saturday, August 31.