Crimson glasses off, there may be one area where the Louisville Cardinals hold an advantage over the Crimson Tide of Alabama football…
For the casual college football fan, merely watching a game on Saturdays can be quite entertaining. For those of us who eat, sleep, and breathe Alabama football, often times just watching the game as a whole simply isn’t enough. At times, even unintentionally, I find myself looking deeper into the opposition to see just where Alabama may or may not hold an advantage over their opponent. Here we dive into the game within the game for week one.
There are a few things that stand out immediately when looking at the Alabama versus Louisville match-up on paper. The first and possibly the only problem Bama may have with Louisville will be a young, largely untested secondary against three Julio Jones-esque wide receivers from UL. Facing a starting trio that all stand over 6’2″ and weigh over 200 pounds, Diggs, Smith, Surtain Jr. and company will certainly have their hands full. There won’t be much time for Alabama’s defensive backfield to grow up. The time to make plays comes week one.
From an advantageous standpoint, Alabama’s defensive line should largely be able to dominate what UL fans are calling the best offensive line of the Petrino era. More specifically, if Quinnen WIlliams can consistently collapse the pocket, limiting Jawon Pass’s ability to step up and into his throws, this will be a long game for Petrino and company. TDAlabamaMag’s own Stephen M. Smith expects Alabama to own the point of attack, and I absolutely agree. Games are won and lost in the trenches, and Alabama should have enough there on both sides of the ball to get the job done.
The third and final point I’d like to present today, which is something that has been very much overlooked by Alabama fans, is the health of sophomore running back Joshua Jacobs. Jacobs showed flashes of what he brings to the table last year against both of the Tide’s opponents from the state of Mississippi. Not only does a healthy Josh Jacobs take some of the load off of the Harris boys, but he also adds an extra element to the Tide offense with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, and turn a short pass into a highlight reel type play.
Stay tuned to TDAlabamaMag.com for all your Alabama football and recruiting news. Be on the lookout for next week’s game within the game for Arkansas State.
