SUGAR BOWL: PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL
OHIO
STATE v ALABAMA
January 1 2015 Superdome New Orleans, LA
Alabama
Crimson Tide
Location:
Tuscaloosa, AL
Stadium:
Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)
Coach: Nick Saban (8th
year): 86-16 at Alabama/177-58-1 overall, 28-16-1 v B1G, 2-1 v OSU
Series: Alabama 3, OSU
0
Last Meeting:
1/2/1995: (Florida Citrus Bowl) Alabama 24, OSU 17
Coach Meyer
(3rd year): 36-3 at OSU/140-26 overall, 28-2 v B1G, 2-3 v Alabama
2013
Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2)(8-1) 2013 Alabama Crimson
Tide (11-2)(7-1)
40 Buffalo 20 35 Virginia Tech (Atlanta) 10
42 San
Diego State 7 49 at Texas A&M 42
52 at
California 34 31 Colorado State 6
76 Florida
A&M 0 25 Mississippi
0
31 Wisconsin 24 45 Georgia
State 3
40 at
Northwestern 30 48 at Kentucky 7
34 Iowa 24 52 Arkansas 0
63 Penn
State 14 45 Tennessee 10
56 at
Purdue 0 38 Louisiana State 17
60 at
Illinois 35 20 at Mississippi State 7
42 Indiana 14 49 TN-Chattanooga 0
42 at
Michigan 41 28 at Auburn 34
24 Michigan
State 34 (B1G Title) 31 Oklahoma 45
35 Clemson 40 (Orange Bowl) (Sugar Bowl)
2014
Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1)(9-0) 2014 Alabama Crimson
Tide (12-1)(8-1)
34 at
Navy (Baltimore) 17 33 West Virginia (Atlanta) 23
21 Virginia
Tech 35 41 Florida Atlantic 0
66 Kent
State 0 52 Southern Mississippi 12
S20 42 Florida 21
50 Cincinnati 28
52 at
Maryland 24 17 at Mississippi 23
O11 14 at Arkansas 13
56 Rutgers 17 59 Texas A&M 0
31 at
Penn State 24 (2OT) 34 at Tennessee 20
55 Illinois 14
49 at
Michigan State 37 20 at Louisiana State 13
31 at
Minnesota 24 25 Mississippi State 20
42 Indiana 26 48 Western Carolina 14
42 Michigan 28 55 Auburn 44
59 Wisconsin 0 42 Missouri 13
(B1G
Title) (SEC
Title)
J1 Alabama Ohio
State
(Sugar
Bowl) (Sugar
Bowl)
The
Ohio State Buckeyes have come all the way from an inexplicable loss to Virginia
Tech on September 6 to a berth in the first ever “big school” college football
playoff with a tall order against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl.
OHIO STATE OFFENSE v
ALABAMA DEFENSE: The Tide have always been known for
great defense, especially since Nick Saban has been the coach and this year is
no exception. Alabama ranks 11th
nationally in total defense (312.4) and ranks 4th in scoring
defense, giving up a stingy 16.6 points per game. The Alabama coaches have been pleased with
the development of their young players on the defensive line, where it starts
with sophomore Jonathan Allen who has established himself as a playmaker and
one of their top pass rushers. Named
All-SEC, he is second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and has 4.5 sacks. Allen saved the game at Arkansas when he
blocked the extra point try after a Razorbacks late score, preserving the Tide’s
14-13 victory. At the other end, junior
Jarran Reed has had a productive 2014 season, earning an honorable mention
All-SEC with 52 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and five pass break
ups. Anchoring the middle of the Tide
defensive line is sophomore A’Shawn Robinson.
A returning freshman All-American, Robinson has picked up where he left
off, splitting time between NG/NT when the Tide go to their nickel and dime
packages and he has played end at times when they are in their base 3-4
look. His 47 tackles on the season,
along with 6.5 tackles for loss, two pass break ups and a blocked PAT make him
a handful for any offensive line.
Alabama’s 3-4 set allows them to put four very good athletes on the
field at the same time in the line backing corps. Trey DePriest and Reggie Ragland form the
backbone of that unit. A new starter
when the season began, Ragland became a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and
first team All-SEC. Ragland ranks second
on the team with 88 tackles with four games in which he had ten or more. Ragland has been all over the field, as his
8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception, and three fumble recoveries
attest. DePriest is the experienced
leader at linebacker who has 38 career starts and is entrusted with calling the
defensive signals on the field. Named
All-SEC and All-American, DePriest’s 82 tackles put him third on the team and
he has 3.5 tackles for loss and three pass break ups to go with it. The other outside backer, Xzavier Dickson
adds quickness and is probably their best pass rusher. He has a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss and
eight sacks. ILB Denzel Devall has
recovered nicely after missing six games due to injury and combines a good
blend of size and speed against the run.
The Tide secondary is led by junior SS Landon Collins, the team leader
in tackles with 91. Collins has made
many of those in run support, as his 3.5 tackles for loss shows. Collins can also play good coverage in short
to medium routes as he also has three interceptions. CB Cyrus Jones doubles as a punt returner in
which he has done quite well (20.5 yard average) while also garnering 44
tackles, a fumble recovery, and nine pass break ups. The other corner, Eddie Jackson, has
recovered from a torn ACL to get 37 tackles in 10 games to go with two tackles
for loss, a sack, an interception, fumble recovery, and five pass break
ups. Free safety is covered by senior
Nick Perry, who earned the starting job early in the season and has responded
very well with 74 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
In facing Auburn, Mississippi State, and Texas
A&M, the Tide are used to facing some very good offenses. But
where Alabama has been most susceptible is in the passing game. It ranks just
61st nationally against the pass, allowing 223.7 yards per game through the air
and they are up against an Ohio State offense that features big-play receivers
and SEC-like speed on the edges. Look
for the Buckeyes to try to go deep to Devin Smith early and often, as they did
against Wisconsin to try to take advantage of the Tide’s weakness in this
area. Of course, the offensive line will
have to play their best game of the year in order to protect Cardale Jones from
what will be an all-out attempt by the Tide defense to come after him. If they can protect Jones, it bodes well for
other playmakers, such as Ezekiel Elliott and Jalin Marshall to excel, and Ohio
State will stand to have some success on offense. Cardale Jones will have a much easier go of
it if he allows Smith, Thomas, and the rest of the Buckeye wide outs to beat
the corners across from them and deliver an accurate pass.
Landon Collins
OHIO
STATE DEFENSE v ALABAMA OFFENSE: Alabama’s high-powered offense
revolves around the Blake Sims-to-Amari Cooper connection. Cooper, who finished third in the Heisman balloting,
has had an unbelievable 115 catches for 1656 yards and 14 touchdowns. Quarterback Blake Sims has come a long way to
be able to deliver the ball to Cooper the way he has in 2014. After spending years in the shadows of former
Alabama quarterbacks Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron, Sims has blossomed into
the fulcrum of the Tide’s new look and high-powered offense. It’s a long
way from where he was at during spring ball, in which Sims’ struggles
prompted a 10-year-old boy to ask head coach Nick Saban, “Do we have another
quarterback besides Blake Sims?” after
the team’s annual Spring Game. Sims responded from his struggles to throw
for over 3200 yards and 26 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. T.J. Yeldon provides a powerful punch from
the RB spot, just like previous good Alabama runners. Yeldon fell just short of 1000 yards on the
season (932), but scored ten touchdowns.
He is only 290 yards behind the school record for career rushing yardage
(3565 held by Shawn Alexander from 1996-99).
With the incredible numbers Cooper has put up, it’s easy to forget about
the other receivers. The Buckeyes need
to keep an eye on the fellow on the other side, DeAndrew White. The venerable senior has 37 catches for 439
yards and four touchdowns. White has
made an impressive comeback from the shoulder injury he suffered in the opener
against West Virginia. 21 of his catches
have gone for first downs, so he plays the possession receiver position
extremely well. TE Brian Vogler, a
fifth-year senior, hasn’t figured very much in the Alabama passing attack with
only four receptions, but two of them have been for first downs in critical situations
when the Tide needed a play. The coaches
also rave about his blocking at the point of attack in the run game. The powerful, experienced Alabama offensive
line has paved the way for their offensive success in 2014. They have paved the way for 209.5 yards
rushing per game, 490.5 total yards per game, and have given up a paltry 13
sacks this year. Seniors Arie Kouandjio,
Leon Brown, and Austin Shepherd.
Kouandjio was also named to several All-American teams as well. Junior Ryan Kelly has anchored the line at
center for two years now, and newcomer freshman Cam Robinson has been named to
Sporting News’ freshman All-American team.
The play of Ohio
State's defensive line impacts all phases of the game. The Buckeyes need to
stop the run, but if they can get pressure on Alabama quarterback Blake Sims,
it makes containing Amari Cooper a little easier. It’s no secret the play of All-Americans Joey
Bosa and Michael Bennett, in addition to strong efforts from Adolphus
Washington, the Buckeyes have made up for the loss of Noah Spence, who never
played a down this season after his suspension from a failed drug test. All have said it's one of the biggest
keys to the game, as well as the play of Doran Grant, who will likely be
matched against Amari Cooper, who will provide the stiffest test Grant has had
in his career.
Amari Cooper
SPECIAL TEAMS: Adam Griffith has made 12 of 19 field goal attempts
with a long of 47, while punter JK Scott has a cannon for a leg, averaging 47
yards per punt with a long of 70.
SUMMARY: Perhaps at the forefront of the matchup between two of the most storied
programs in the game is the coaching matchup between Nick Saban and Urban
Meyer, widely thought of as the two best coaches in the college game. It brings to mind the very first matchup
between these two teams, also in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1978. Back then, the hype was the coaching matchup
between Bear Bryant and Woody Hayes.
Buckeye fans hope this matchup will not see history repeat itself (the
Tide won 35-6) and this matchup figures to be much closer and more
competitive. Both teams match up well
along the lines and the skill positions.
Ohio State’s offensive and defensive lines must dominate in order to
give the Buckeyes the chance for the upset.
Look for this game to be up for grabs well into the fourth quarter, but
the Tide will make one or two more plays to pull it out.
ALABAMA 23, OHIO STATE 16
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