August 31, 2015
Tommy Deas
The University of Alabama football team opens the 2015 season against Wisconsin on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a number of questions. Here is a look at four of the key ones that will be answered:
1. How will the quarterbacks play?
Head coach Nick Saban hasn't shed a lot of light on how he plans to handle the quarterback position in the season opener, with Jake Coker, Cooper Bateman and Alec Morris all grouped at the top of the depth chart. At least two of those quarterbacks, most likely, will see action against the Badgers. While most people are interested in who will eventually emerge as the starter, the real question is how the quarterbacks play, and how well they play.
2. What will Alabama's offense look like?
It seems likely that UA will have a change in offensive identity in coordinator Lane Kiffin's second season with the Crimson Tide. Last year, Alabama had more of a hurry-up, no-huddle look and utlized less of a pro-style attack than in previous seasons, playing to the strengths of quarterback Blake Sims and the explosiveness of wideout Amari Cooper. Both of those players have departed, and Saban has hinted that he wants to get back to more of a hard-nosed, physical approach. It will be interesting to see what UA has in store for the Wisconsin defense.
3. Can Alabama stop Wisconsin's running game?
The Badgers style themselves as Running Back U, and won't change their approach even though there's a new head coach in Paul Chryst and a new lead running back in Corey Clement, who will take over for departed Doak Walker Award winner Melvin Gordon. Expect Wisconsin to try to pound away at an Alabama defense that many believe will be as formidable as those of the 2011 and 1992 national championship teams, especially up front. This will be brawn vs. brawn in the trenches, and a good indication of how tough UA's front seven will be in 2015.
4. Will JK Scott steal the show?
Alabama's sophomore punter was a sensation last year as a freshman, garnering All-American recognition and leading the nation with a 48-yard average - better than anyone in college or the National Football League. Scott is a weapon in the battle for field position, and the spacious confines of AT&T Stadium will give him a place to showcase his leg. The question isn't so much how well he'll kick, but whether he will manage to bang one off the oversized video board that hovers over the field.- See more at: Tommy Deas' Four Downs
Tommy Deas
The University of Alabama football team opens the 2015 season against Wisconsin on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a number of questions. Here is a look at four of the key ones that will be answered:
1. How will the quarterbacks play?
Head coach Nick Saban hasn't shed a lot of light on how he plans to handle the quarterback position in the season opener, with Jake Coker, Cooper Bateman and Alec Morris all grouped at the top of the depth chart. At least two of those quarterbacks, most likely, will see action against the Badgers. While most people are interested in who will eventually emerge as the starter, the real question is how the quarterbacks play, and how well they play.
2. What will Alabama's offense look like?
It seems likely that UA will have a change in offensive identity in coordinator Lane Kiffin's second season with the Crimson Tide. Last year, Alabama had more of a hurry-up, no-huddle look and utlized less of a pro-style attack than in previous seasons, playing to the strengths of quarterback Blake Sims and the explosiveness of wideout Amari Cooper. Both of those players have departed, and Saban has hinted that he wants to get back to more of a hard-nosed, physical approach. It will be interesting to see what UA has in store for the Wisconsin defense.
3. Can Alabama stop Wisconsin's running game?
The Badgers style themselves as Running Back U, and won't change their approach even though there's a new head coach in Paul Chryst and a new lead running back in Corey Clement, who will take over for departed Doak Walker Award winner Melvin Gordon. Expect Wisconsin to try to pound away at an Alabama defense that many believe will be as formidable as those of the 2011 and 1992 national championship teams, especially up front. This will be brawn vs. brawn in the trenches, and a good indication of how tough UA's front seven will be in 2015.
4. Will JK Scott steal the show?
Alabama's sophomore punter was a sensation last year as a freshman, garnering All-American recognition and leading the nation with a 48-yard average - better than anyone in college or the National Football League. Scott is a weapon in the battle for field position, and the spacious confines of AT&T Stadium will give him a place to showcase his leg. The question isn't so much how well he'll kick, but whether he will manage to bang one off the oversized video board that hovers over the field.- See more at: Tommy Deas' Four Downs
