The Crimson Tide won 47-23 on the road against South Carolina last week but gave up 324 yards through the air.

The figure was much higher than Alabama’s average of 194 passing yards per game and put the Crimson Tide on alert ahead of the weekend, when it welcomes the 12th-best passing offense in the country.

The Golden Eagles won 47-42 on the road against Troy last weekend to improve to 2-1. Southern Mississippi has three receivers who have accumulated over 200 yards through the air in the first three games of the season, while quarterback Jack Abraham has thrown for 990 yards with a 71.1 percent completion rate.

Saban suggested simplicity was crucial to Southern Mississippi’s offensive production.

“It’s because they’ve got good skill players and got a good scheme,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters. “They throw the ball all over the perimeter and make you play in space all the time.”

Alabama will be without star pass rusher LaBryan Ray on Saturday and Saban admitted the length of his absence was still to be determined.

“We’re doing some further testing to see what the situation is with his foot,” he explained.

“But it is undetermined right now how long he will be out.”

If the Crimson Tide has some mild defensive concerns, the picture is a lot rosier on the offensive side of the ball.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for a career-best 444 yards and five touchdowns against South Carolina and has already racked up 1,007 yards with 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Like Southern Mississippi, Alabama also has three receivers who have already accumulated over 200 yards through the first three games.

Jerry Judy has 308 yards over 24 receptions, while Devonta Smith has 237 over 18 receptions and Henry Ruggs III has racked up 202 over 12 receptions.

For all of Southern Mississippi’s offensive prowess, it takes a major leap faith to expect the No. 2 ranked team in the country to slip up this weekend.

Tougher tests, however, lie ahead for Alabama, who faces two Top 25-ranked teams over the next five weeks, on the road at No.17 ranked Texas A&M and at home against No. 4 LSU.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday.

When and where is the game?

Alabama hosts Southern Mississippi at the Bryan-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday, September 21.

Kick-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

TV coverage

The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

Live stream

Live stream will be available via WatchESPN, the ESPN app and ESPN’s digital platforms.

Series record

The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series with 34 wins in 42 games to Southern Mississippi’s six and has won the last five matchups. The most recent meeting came in September 2014, with Alabama triumphing 52-12 at home.

Odds

According to BetOnline, Alabama is a 39-point favorite and is 91/100 to win and cover the spread, while the over/under bar in terms of points scored is set at 61.5.