Posted on 12/28/2016 4:18:11 PM PST by blam
•If Washington can get pressure on Alabama QB Jalen Hurts, the Crimson Tide could be vulnerable. But the Huskies need QB Jake Browning to have time to take advantage.
Andy Staples
Wednesday December 28th, 2016
Who wants Bama? Washington does. Huskies coach Chris Petersen did excellent work as an underdog at Boise State, and now his team will get the ultimate underdog experience against the undefeated defending national champ in the Peach Bowl. Alabama coach Nick Saban has told anyone who would listen since the playoff field was announced that Washington will be the best team the Crimson Tide have faced all season. Saban, who often speaks to his players through the media, does not want them to underestimate the Pac-12 champions. But he’s also telling the truth; Washington probably will be the best team Alabama has played so far.
1. Time for Jalen Hurts to take the next step
True freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts has turned Alabama’s attack into one of the nation’s most versatile thanks to his running ability, but he hasn’t had a chance to run the full offense yet. “Once we realized how talented he was, we needed to play him right away,” Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said. “We didn’t have two years to develop him, so how can we simplify the offense to do the things he can do best?” The extended break between the SEC title game and the Peach Bowl offered the first chance for Hurts to go back to basics at practice as the starter.
Hurts’s yards per attempt dropped by nearly a full yard (from 8.1 to 7.2) as Alabama faced better defenses in its last seven games, but his completion percentage remained high. He currently ranks No. 13 in the nation at 65.3%.
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(Excerpt) Read more at si.com ...
Ping to post #40 just for fun.
However, they looked at the score board and Alabama was leading by 16-3. The defense/special teams had scored those points.
Roll Tide Roll
My computer will not run those videos. I don't know why.
Almost fifty years have passed since Vince Lombardi uttered the line that would endear him to Crimson Tide fans. When asked how it felt to be the greatest football team in the world, after winning Superbowl I he replied, “I don’t know, we haven’t played Alabama yet”
Just as well, you'd have to listen to Verne in most of them anyway.
Best defense ever!
RTR!
Short of a miracle at this time, we’re looking at a rematch for the championship. Clemson looks real good tonight. Our offense needs to tighten up to beat them.
Well, OSU could not handle the speed of Clemson, and as always both games were showcases of the big “D”. I don’t think this years meeting between Clemson and the Tide will be a shootout like last year. Neither team will score 30 points, if defenses show up like today. ... I was pleased to see Ubrban-murban get shut out!
I was surprised at how poorly coached Bama was on offense. The defense was generally great, but the offensive play calling bordered on the irrational.
‘They can’t shut down our runs up the middle. So lets start throwing passes and running to the outside where they have our number.’
The ego running the offense play calling has been promoted to coaching a small college team, so he really isn’t interested in getting offense results at Bama now. Saban needs to take the reigns for the title game.
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