The Extra Point: What Makes a Successful Game Against an FCS Team?
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You've heard the names before: Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Mercer, The Citadel, Charleston Southern.
On Saturday, Alabama will add Austin Peay to the list of FCS schools that it has played while under head coach Nick Saban.
This game comes around once a year and its typically played during the second-to-last week of the regular season as a tune-up of sorts before the all-important Iron Bowl on Thanksgiving Weekend.
These games are also typically won in blowout fashion by Alabama and other school across the SEC who schedule FCS opponents this week as well. It's generally become known as "cupcake week" to those that have noticed the trend in SEC scheduling.
While FCS schools receive a huge payout for this game to make it worthwhile to them, the biggest question is what makes this game a 'successful' outing for Alabama, besides, of course, winning the game.
Games like this are usually a great opportunity to allow young players to get real-game snaps and get used to real-game situations, as the starters are typically out of the game by the fourth, or even third quarter. With the recent update to the NCAA redshirt rule, players can appear in this game and still maintain their year og eligibility.
Saban always looks for a high level of execution, so he will certainly expect as close to a mistake-free game as he can get from his starters when they will overwhelmingly overmatch their opponent.
Check out the video above where BamaCentral's Blake Byler and Joey Blackwell discuss what makes a successful outing against an FCS opponent.
See also:
Everything Nick Saban Said Monday of Austin Peay Week
Emil Ekiyor Living a Lineman's Dream With Big Hit Against Ole Miss
How To Watch: No. 8 Alabama vs. Austin Peay
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