The Alabama Crimson Tide face a significant challenge: They need to knock off the Indiana Hoosiers on January 1 in the Rose Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Alabama are coming off an impressive comeback win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the opening round of the playoff to reach the quarterfinals. Nonetheless, the question heading into the contest against the Hoosiers is whether the Crimson Tide can do enough on offense and defense to pull off the upset.
Nonetheless, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt doesn’t see Alabama pulling off what it needs to secure a win over the Hoosiers.
“[Alabama] is a passing team,” Klatt said in a December 30 video from “The Joe Klatt Show.” “This is a team that does not run the football well; this is who they have been. This is their identity… They’ll lean on the passing game, which is elite.
“Now, I think it’s going to be hard for Alabama to protect Ty Simpson. That offensive line, even on film in a game in which they won against Oklahoma, it’s not like [it] is playing great.
“A lot of it is Simpson’s ability to elude, play on time, and protect himself. There is some rain in the forecast, and for a team that can’t run the football that well and has to throw the football, moisture in the air is never a good sign. So I’d say that one favors Indiana a little bit.”
Indiana Defense Could Cause Alabama Problems
All eyes will be on Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, but if Alabama want to win the Rose Bowl, it’s going to be on the shoulders of Ty Simpson. Moreover, Simpson will likely have to outperform the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Nonetheless, Klatt believes that the Crimson Tide’s signal-caller will have issues against the Hoosier defense.
“Indiana has seen some good passing attacks,” Klatt added. “They saw Oregon; they saw Ohio State in their last game. I think Ty Simpson is an elite player. When I watch the film on Ty Simpson, I’m blown away at his poise in the pocket and his timing. He’s in total control. His feet are phenomenal. The footwork allows him to play on time.
“Playing on time allows him to throw the ball accurately and allows him to really attack defenses, and he does an exceptional job of it. He will attack this Indiana defense. This is a unique style of defense. They play a lot of zone coverage, more zone coverage than almost anybody else in college football, but they also pressure.”
Alabama Have Major Confidence in Ty Simpson
While Mendoza will get the spotlight in this game against Alabama, the Crimson Tide have faith in Simpson. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer noted that Simpson is ready for this pressure moment, but it will take a team effort to beat Indiana.
“With Ty, to me, the confidence that he’s playing with right now,” DeBoer told the Big Ten Network. “I think it’s a trust that getting his guys back around him a little bit, a little healthier, guys making some plays. They made a bunch of 50-50 catches for him at Oklahoma [and kept] him protected.
“The run game, I still feel like we’re just that close to having a game in a big moment where it makes a difference. So everyone’s got to work together. That’s what football is, a team sport and your trigger man is obviously where it all starts.”
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