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By Evan Massey
Contributing Sports Writer
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Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in a very tough road matchup to kick off their College Football Playoff journey on Friday night.
Despite many not loving the committee's choice to leave Alabama in the playoff picture after losing 28-7 in the SEC championship against the Georgia Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide have a chance to prove the critics wrong. Should they find a way to defeat Oklahoma, Alabama would move on to face off against the No. 1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers.
Ahead of this weekend's matchup, DeBoer and company know how difficult the road will be to winning a championship.
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Unfortunately, there is some concerning news surrounding the Crimson Tide leading into Friday night's showdown with the Sooners.
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As shared by Charlie Potter of On3 Sports, DeBoer announced that a key player will likely miss Friday's game. He doesn't believe that defensive lineman LT Overton will be able to play.
"Continue to monitor him. I'd say he's doubtful for this weekend," DeBoer said.
Not having Overton on the field would be a tough blow for Alabama. He has been a key piece of the Crimson Tide defense this season.
Throughout the course of the year, the 6-foot-5 and 278-pound defensive lineman has produced at a high level. He totaled 33 tackles to go along with four sacks and a defended pass. Alabama will need as much help in the trenches as possible.
Overton also missed the game against Georgia in the SEC championship due to an undisclosed illness.
At this point in time, no further details have been revealed about what has been causing Overton to miss time. He currently ranks second on the Crimson Tide defense in sacks.
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In his place, Jordan Renaud got the start against the Bulldogs. Keon Keeley also played a bigger role to help replace Overton in that game.
Hopefully, the absence of Overton is not problematic for Alabama on Friday night. The Sooners are going to be a very difficult team to beat. From the start, the Crimson Tide will be down a key piece with Overton expected to miss the game.
Alabama and Oklahoma are scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday night and fans will be able to watch the game on ABC and ESPN.
For more on the Alabama Crimson Tide and college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.
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