The thing not mentioned is the quarterback change. Part of me really wishes Crompton was still starting for UT. If anyone is curious about the biggest difference between Crompton and Stephens, here it is…
In four starts, Compton threw four picks and was sacked four times
In three starts, Stevens has not thrown a pick, but has been sacked six times
To me this shows that Crompton was trying to force the ball in somewhere when faced with pressure and turning it over while Stevens is more conservative and will take the sack rather than try a risky throw.
This has been a factor is regards to their rushing yards. They only had 69 rushing yards against NIU, but Stephens took three sacks which came off their rushing yards.
In my opinion, Bama needs to play man and bring pressure. If we don’t give Stephens time to throw, knowing how conservative he is, we can really limit their passing attack.
I’ll also be looking at how well UT’s “gimmick” plays are executed. They have run quite a few, but had little success. They have run one half-back pass and two reverse passes with Gerald Jones and are 0 for three on those plays. Still, the Bama safeties have to be mindful of those plays and not get burned.
