Alabama football: 3 reasons the Tide will beat No. 11 Texas in Week 2
It’s Week 2 of the season, and with it comes a showcase of blue bloods, Alabama football vs. Texas.
There’ll be several subplots pertaining to this return fixture from Tuscaloosa, such as the student (Steve Sarkisian) vs. the master (Nick Saban), Tommy Rees’ first major challenge as offensive coordinator at Alabama, Jalen Milroe’s first career start against top 25 opposition, the wounded Alabama secondary versus gunslinger Quinn Ewers, and more.
Without a doubt, this game poses a litmus test for many involved, with the answers set to be revealed Saturday night on ESPN.
Furthermore, here are three reasons why Alabama will roll over the Longhorns.
3. Alabama football will control the trenches
For many, success in football begins in the trenches. The team that can control the line of scrimmage is typically the team that ultimately wins the game. Saturday night will be no different as Alabama will flatten Texas upfront.
The Tide feature an offensive line that is bookended by two behemoth tackles in JC Latham and Kadyn Proctor. According to 247Sports, both are former five-star recruits, with measurables that would rival that of Disney’s Willie the Giant. Latham checks in at 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds, meanwhile, his true freshman teammate, Proctor, is actually slightly larger at 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds.
In addition to these stalwarts, the rest of Alabama’s starting offensive line averages 6-foot-4 and 317 pounds per player making for a powerfully imposing unit.
As such, these mammoths up front will create holes for the talented stable of Crimson Tide running backs to rush through time and again. As a result, the effective ground game will make life much easier for Jalen Milroe to work his way into the game. He’ll be given the time to read through his progressions thanks to superb pass protection from his big uglies, and his talented receiving corps will get the separation needed for the sophomore to deliver the goods downfield.
If Tommy Rees can think run first and pass second, something that he struggled with at times whilst calling plays for Notre Dame, then Alabama should roll over Matthew McConaughey’s men.
As for the defensive line — rather the front seven as a collective unit — Alabama possesses a plethora of gifted players. Between the defensive line and linebacking corps, Alabama has an astounding seven former five-stars and 19 four-stars, according to 247Sports. Led by Dallas Turner, Chris Braswell, Jaheim Otis, and Tim Keenan lll, the depth, and freshness of this squad is something that the Longhorns’ line will struggle to cope with from beginning to end.
As a result, I expect Alabama to stuff the run and create continuous pressure on quarterback Quinn Ewers. In turn, this should help mitigate the lack of depth and/or full fitness of the Tide secondary, due to a rash of recent injuries.