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Game Thread 2015 Sugar Bowl: (1) Alabama vs. (4) Ohio State, Jan 1st @ 8:30p ET, ESPN (civilized thread)

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Michael Bluth said:
Bama is not going to crumble. Let's realize who we're dealing with here. One of the few teams that has as much, likely a bit more talent than us and a coach that is equal to or greater than Meyer. This is going to be a dogfight. We win if we play as well as we did against Wisconsin, but don't think for a second it's going to be some sort of blowout. Like Meyer already said, we have to be 100% on point to beat this team.
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Agree with pretty much everything in this post. Alabama has more depth on their roster, but I would argue that our starting lineups are equally talented.
 
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Buckeneye said:
How so? The 2012 Bama squad played in the SEC. Did this years team move to the NFC South?
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LOL no. The 2012 team won most of it's games by wide margins. This team has had more nail biters. Mostly due to our own doing. I believe we are -1 on the year in turnover margin. We've had to overcome those.Overcoming your own mistakes that could get you beat takes faith from your teammates and coaches and the ability to not let it linger in your own mind. So...this year's group it a tight knit group who has each other's back. You guys probably have something similar with all you've been through.
 
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tidefan1 said:
LOL no. The 2012 team won most of it's games by wide margins. This team has had more nail biters. Mostly due to our own doing. I believe we are -1 on the year in turnover margin. We've had to overcome those.Overcoming your own mistakes that could get you beat takes faith from your teammates and coaches and the ability to not let it linger in your own mind. So...this year's group it a tight knit group who has each other's back. You guys probably have something similar with all you've been through.
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The Buckeyes have had turnover issues as well. We put the ball on the ground like we have in a couple games this year, and we've got no chance against Bama unless they give it back a couple times themselves.
 
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On a couple of Bama teams a few years ago, I saw very few flaws, especially defensively. Some of those defenses were scary good, and the offense played the role of letting the defense put them into good scoring situations. This Alabama team is very good, but they have flaws on both sides of the ball. However, Cooper scares me to death. Ash needs a plan - and it better be a good one.

But we will score on these guys. I think the game will be determined by the Bama O vs the OSU D.
 
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tidefan1 said:
Ok. I recall a couple of years ago Norte Dame fans saying there was no way anybody could drive 80 yards down the field on their defense. Yet it happened three times. I know you guys are much better than they were but I'd caution you saying anything can or cannot, with 100% certainty, happen when Saban has three weeks to prepare. He is not 9-1 in championship games just by luck. The only thing I know for certain is that you cannot stop Cooper although it is possible to limit him.
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Glad to have you here tidefan1.

Cooper is going to be awfully tough to handle; one of our safeties, Powell, has struggled with his angles this year and he's going to get tested plenty. I have a feeling he's the guy they try to pick on.

I haven't watched a ton of Bama games this year, but from what I've seen your DL does a great job on the edges and teams have more success running up the middle? Also, how is Cam Robinson...I saw him go out in the SEC CCG but wasn't sure if he returned.
 
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tidefan1 said:
Yeah, we tend to score in bunches.
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I don't see either team scoring 21 unanswered, so we're not talking comeback. The only way I see this happening is if Bama is up a TD early in the 4th and they kill clock on 3 slow ground/pound TD drives. The question is whether or not, in that scenario, Ohio State's big play tendencies show up to match it.

That being said, the Alabama games I've seen this year where the opponents were able to score in bunches were set up by teams being able to win the edge battles vs the D-Line and LBs. Auburn had a lot of success on sweeps, counter runs and QB scrambles to the edge.

It was more of a speed advantage than a play-call advantage.

I think in terms of skill players Ohio State has similar speed and quickness to Auburn and will be able to pick up 4-5 yards consistently on 1st and 2nd down to the edge which will ultimately set up the pass attack deep if the corners cheat up to defend it.
 
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I think this game is very, very winnable. Our front 7 will need to play a Wisconsin-level game against their rush attack and keep Sims from improvising. I think our offense will put up points, but not at a "at-will" pace. I love that most media pundits and the rest of the nation are giving us zero chance to win, but I have full trust in Urban and our D coordinators. Cardale, just find the playmakers and let thim do what they need to do.

Bucks 38-35.
 
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I visited a couple message boards because I wanted to read what they thought of us and the Missouri comparison is what I saw in a both places. If they think they'll be able to shut down our offense as cleanly as they did Mizzou they'll be in for a surprise.
 
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An opposing team's success or failure on running the football really depends on which lineman we have in the game at the time. A run dominant team usually faces our " space eaters" and has little success running between the tackles but has moderate success outside. Pass happy teams, like Texas A&M for example, have little success on the perimeter but have moderate success in between the tackles. Saban and DC Kirby Smart want match ups defensively. If your personnel favor a run, we substitute to mitigate your success of running. If your personnel favor a pass, we substitute more astute pass rushers. The HUNH gives us problems because we are often caught with bad match ups with the opposing teams personnel. So...if you guys can play tempo, you might find easier sledding.
 
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tidefan1 said:
Agree. That is not a good comparison. Auburn might be the best comparison although I don't think you have a duo of wideouts quite like they do.
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We definitely don't have Sammy Coates and Duke Williams. Those guys are 9/10's. Unfortunately for Auburn their drop off at #3 goes to about 6/10. We do have a solid 8/10 in Devin Smith and a stable of 7/10's. Including guys that function heavily in the run game.

Ultimately I think the pass attack is a draw. Where we differ is the run game. Ezekiel Elliot puts Cameron Artis-Payne to shame and is featured in the pass attack a lot more. Our O-Line is about on par with Auburn's, although I think Auburn has the slightest of edge in size.
 
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