Quote Originally Posted by kroch:
I think McElroy is going to be amazed at the difference in looks he will see from Muschamp vs. Florida (who had no pass rush due to Dunlap out). Florida also doesn't have an elite/ballhawking safety like TX does (and Berry played very well against Bama). Kindle and Acho are going to be on him all night relentlessly. refer to Zac Robinson's comments after the OSU game.
to say TX hasn't played a physical defense like Bama's is wrong imo---OU's dline might be the best in the country and they still eeked out a victory....and don't forget Suh and crew.
i expect the TX o-line will be much better than most thing as they have heard for 30 days how bad they are. i expect TX will be able to run the ball and Davis will give a lot of Auburn type looks to do so....a lot more zone read.
Don't be fooled. Florida has top-notch everything. Across the board, they are without question the most talented team in the country.
Defensively Florida and Texas are not very similar. Florida runs a base 3-3-5 and Texas runs your classic 4-3. But in comparing the secondaries of the two teams Florida is better, and quite frankly, it isn't close. Haden, Hill, Black, Wright & Jenkins will all be playing on Sundays. There is no question that Earl Thomas is a great player, but overall UT's secondary is not on Florida's level.
At linebacker, I would also give the edge to Florida with Spikes, Stamper, Jones and Hicks. Texas, however, is close with Muckelroy, Robinson and Acho. Florida's backers are bigger and more versitile, but UT's backers are faster. Muckelroy is a good pass rusher, while Robinson and Acho are good in coverage.
I would, however, give Texas the check mark on the D-line. Sergio Kindle is a player that Alabama must keep in check. He'll be going against James Carperter who is currently battling the flu, and is prone to whiff on speed rushers from time-to-time. Inside Randall and Houston are probably quicker than Bama has seen all year. Bama will try to neutralize them with physicalness.
UT's problem defensively is that they are light in the ass-end, and that is not a recipe for success against the power running of Alabama. Their D-linemen average around 263. Their LBers are a biscuit shy of 227, and their secondary goes about 188. This is not the make-up of a SEC defense.
As I said in my initial write-up UT's only real chance, as I see it, is for them to jump out to an early lead and maintain it. If they can make Bama chase, that'll force Bama to throw the ball more than they would like. That will allow Kindle and Acho to tee off in the pass rush, and hopefully force McElroy into some mistakes. But if Bama jumps out to a lead or even holds serve, Texas is in trouble because there is simply no way UT's small defense will endure the pounding and violence Bama will serve them for 4 quarters.
Although I certainly think it's true, I never said anything about UT never playing a defense as physical as Bama's. But because I think that Bama's defense is the most physical in the country, I don't see how I could come to any other conclusion. Overall Bama's defense is much better than NU's & OU's IMO.