🏈 ⏲ Countdown to the Cotton Bowl: Bama vs Cincinnati Pre-Game Thread / Previews.

[RTB.com]

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[bamaledge]

I hope we squash their dreams early and we score on every possession!!!

 

[TerryP]

O'Brien and Marrone few to Dallas yesterday (Tuesday.)

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[TerryP]

In your latest ground breaking analysis we have Danielson main key is "elite QB play." Does that shock anyone? He pointed to Manziel, among a few others. Pollack mentions the same and points to Clemson, '16, with Watson.

They aren't wrong. It has been the key to beating Bama.

Is Ridder capable of having a game like Johnny or Deshaun? He's shown flashes. One thing I don't see mentioned is how Ridder does under pressure. Like any quarterback, his production drops.

We see the same with Bryce who has his issues completing passes when under duress. However, with Bryce, there's a HUGE caveat: he leads college football in number of touchdowns thrown under pressure.

According to what I've learned Ridder's completion percentage drops to 44% when pressured. What really caught my eye is when pressured his QB rating is .08. Point Zero Eight.

 

[TerryP]

For you guys who may have watched the Auburn/Houston game yesterday here's a quick look at Cincy vs Houston. They're pretty good at the line.

 

[Bama News]

Alabama football: Will Anderson says he feels like Crimson Tide are 'underdogs' against Cincinnati

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247sports.com

SEC Defensive Player of the Year Will Anderson believes No. 1 Alabama is being doubted heading into Friday's College Football Playoff semifinal against Cincinnati and said his team relishes the underdog role. On the contrary, Nick Saban's defending national champions are a 13.5-point favorite in the contest, the largest spread this bowl season.

"To me, I still feel like we're the underdog in this game," Anderson said Monday during Cotton Bowl availability. "I mean, all year we have been disrespected. I'm pretty sure we're still probably getting disrespected out there. Where right now we're not really worried about the external factors. We just have to worry about what's going on inside the facility and the practice field and all the meetings and stuff like that. And I think that's our biggest concern right now, making sure that we're ready and prepared for this game."

 

[TerryP]

I think Bryce has 26, 20 or more (noted at bottom of graph.)

 

[TerryP]

Joseph Goodman, of AL.com, actually took time to ask Will Anderson what his favorite Christmas gift was this year. I appreciate the media taking the time to discuss things like this pre semi-final game press conference with players who get to speak to the media so often. It's exactly what I wanted to know.

 

[mando]

Is Ridder capable of having a game like Johnny or Deshaun?

I do not know a lot about this kid but I believe I saw his record was 43-5. I understand the competition but if you win that many games you are doing something right. He and this entire Cincy team are veterans and have played a lot of football games.

As far as is he capable of having the Johnny/Deshaun type games? If Garcia and the Kid from A&M can do it anyone can on a given day. Maybe not likely but possible. The more I read about this game the more I believe Bama needs to bring their A game. They cannot have a Barn/LSU/Ark/A&M type game and come away with a win.

 

[mando]

So the last comment in Saban's interview "This is a good team as good as a team as we have played all year". Is this coach speak or reality? Saban is historically a lot more honest in these press conferences than most people think.

 

[TerryP]

They cannot have a Barn/LSU/Ark/A&M type game and come away with a win.

Performances like those will beat 75% of the teams they'd face, if not more.

 

[bamascw]

Hyperbole aside, I think Cincinnati is a good football team. I think they have chemistry and they believe in themselves and they are very well coached. Can Ridder have the best game of his life, of course he can. I don’t see the best game of his life comparing two things that happened to us in the past with Manziel and Watson. You have to take into account the quality of the team around those quarterbacks win those things happen, go back and look at the game Manziel played in Tuscaloosa as a freshman, look at how many plays went perfectly for them, the crazy snap that he fumbled all over the place and then ran around like a mouse being chased by a cat only to throw a touchdown. Those type of plays don’t happen all the time,

And I can’t help but go back to the fact that when those things happen to us the team we are playing has four and five star athletes all over the field and Cincinnati just does not have that. Can their offensive line pick up our blitz even half of the time? Can It stop will Anderson with consistency? Granted our secondary has had some bad games but their wide receivers have not seen athletes like we put on the field. Can they run routes across the middle and lose our linebackers? Probably they can here and there but not every damn play.

Look at the defensive line Clemson had in those years where they decimated us, they had six defensive lineman they were rotating in every one of those jokers four and five star athletes. Cincinnati doesn’t have that. Is this game goes on our talent is going to be too much for them, and I’m not saying that to belittle their team it’s just the fact that you can only hang with better talent for so long

Unless we decide to turn the ball over five times in the red zone, I just don’t see how they beat us

 

[rammerjammer]

As far as is he capable of having the Johnny/Deshaun type games? If Garcia and the Kid from A&M can do it anyone can on a given day. Maybe not likely but possible.

I think a major player in those games vs this game is where it is played. While Johnny did play us at home, the other two were road games.

There is a lot of pressure on both teams for different reasons, but I feel like our familiarity with big games takes off some of that pressure.

Cincy has the weight of the Group of 5 world on their shoulders. They have never been this far before.

 

[Tidestalker]

In your latest ground breaking analysis we have Danielson main key is "elite QB play." Does that shock anyone? He pointed to Manziel, among a few others. Pollack mentions the same and points to Clemson, '16, with Watson.

They aren't wrong. It has been the key to beating Bama.

Is Ridder capable of having a game like Johnny or Deshaun? He's shown flashes. One thing I don't see mentioned is how Ridder does under pressure. Like any quarterback, his production drops.

We see the same with Bryce who has his issues completing passes when under duress. However, with Bryce, there's a HUGE caveat: he leads college football in number of touchdowns thrown under pressure.

According to what I've learned Ridder's completion percentage drops to 44% when pressured. What really caught my eye is when pressured his QB rating is .08. Point Zero Eight.

Interesting and great info.

Let's hope the front 7 plays like they did against UGA as opposed to TAMU (no QB sacks or pressures).

I'm thinking it's more likely the UGA version with the improvement of Dallas Turner and improved health of Anderson, Sanders, Ray, etc. It feels like that group may be putting it together at the right time!

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[Rolltide24]

There’s a ton of tickets for sale to this one. Prices are still relatively high compared to what I’ve paid for prior semi final games. But I’ve noticed some coming down on Vivid in the last 24 hours. Anybody know folks selling for this game?

 

[mando]

Let's hope the front 7 plays like they did against UGA as opposed to TAMU (no QB sacks or pressures).

That game was the exception for this OL. Been a struggle throughout the year.

Performances like those will beat 75% of the teams they'd face, if not more.

Of the CFP Teams they will face? So your thinking it is good enough to beat Cincy and either UM or UGA? Which of those teams beat us if we play games like the ones I referenced?

The flip side is if we play like we did against UGA I am believe they win it all. Have these guys turned the corner? I hope so.

 

[Tidestalker]

That game was the exception for this OL. Been a struggle throughout the year.

I was talking about our front 7 as in the DL & LB's....