Alabama Football: 3 Reasons why The Tide will beat Ohio State
By Andrew Tineo
How Alabama can win in the trenches
A team that has two Heisman Finalist and a Doak Walker winner is a loaded offense. It gets even better for the Crimson Tide with amazing O-Line play. Two of the aforementioned awards that Alabama won was along the offensive line.
Two time All-American C Alex Leatherwood was able to win the Outland Trophy. This trophy is awarded to the best tackle in College Football. He is a four year starter and has played multiple positions throughout his career.
The Crimson Tide added to the case when Landon Dickerson took the Rimington Award. This award is given to the best interior lineman in the country. The transfer from Florida State cemented himself as he was a Honorable mention All-American last season. Dickerson has played both right guard and center.
With all of the accolades, it would take a super human effort to pressure Jones. Although there isn’t a dominant front seven player like Chase Young, it’s an excellent unit. Linebacker Baron Browning is a cemented leader and Tommy Togiai is having a breakout season.
However, Ohio State has not played an offensive line as good as Alabama’s. For Alabama, they are led up front by sophomore Christian Barmore. The duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Christopher Allen has combined for 22.5 TFL’s and 13 sacks.
Ohio State has a good O-Line, but has some holes, in terms of experience. There are two sophomores and only two players with double digit starts. This was a concern at the beginning of the season and could arise on Monday. The offensive line was impressive against Northwestern, when Trey Sermon rushed for 300+ yards.
Ohio State won in the trenches against Clemson and sent a message to Alabama in the process. If they can do so again will be the key. With the combo of experience and overall talent, Alabama can control the Buckeyes up close and will a key in their victory.