[ad_1]
The Ohio state defense is going to have its hands full with the explosive attack in Alabama led by the three-headed monster Heisman from Crimson Tide.
Tide’s defense also doesn’t enter Monday night’s national championship game for a walk in the park.
Led by future NFL top-five draft pick Justin Fields perhaps America’s best receiving duo with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson and an offensive line that opened up huge holes for the Trey Sermon, the The Buckeyes’ attack will pose Miami’s own serious threat.
A day after speaking with a player-led Alabama offense who said the Buckeyes’ defense would be “the best we’ve played this year,” the defense stepped onto the podium on Thursday and gave the Ryan Day crew other rave reviews.
‘Can Bama make the state of Ohio one-dimensional?
At the start of the 2020 season, much of the Ohio state offense revolved around Justin Fields throwing the ball across the field to Olave and Wilson. With the way Trey Sermon managed the ball recently, Alabama want to get the Buckeyes back to where they need to throw the ball more than they would like.
“As far as we’re concerned, I think that’s one of the main things we have to worry about is trying to make Ohio State one-dimensional and stop their racing game because it’s is something really important when it comes to success, ”said linebacker Dylan Moses.
Behind what Moses called a “really good offensive line,” Sermon had 331 yards with two touchdowns in the Big Ten title game before scooping up 193 yards and one touchdown in the Sugar Bowl. Those back-to-back performances followed him running for 344 yards in the first five combined games.
So what kind of sermon does Alabama think it sees?
“I think we’ll do our best,” Golding said. “We normally get the best from everyone, and I think he’s playing at a very high level. I think he directs the ball efficiently, he runs behind his pads. I think he’s explosive. I think he does a good job of understanding their blocking structure from the start, following blockers and being patient when he needs it. But he’s one of those guys where you give him the seam, he can take it.
“A young Cam Newton”
Golding spent his first season at Tuscaloosa as Tide’s defensive co-coordinator in 2018. While there, Golding and Co. faced Justin Fields just once during the first five-star season in Georgia.
Fields was barely used in that December 2018 game, failing his only passing attempt and finishing with three carries for six yards. So it’s not as if Golding had a fantastic or complete look at Fields as a quarterback, but he was still able to calibrate the growth Fields made from his first college season to his third in which he climbed into the top five. NFL Draft Pick.
“Obviously I think he looks a lot more veteran,” Golding said. “I think he does a good job getting them in and out of games. Obviously he’s a great controlling team with me, and depending on the hull and the front, he can control the running game and the passing game. So I think he’s come a long way, obviously, to figure out covers and fronts and how they fit together. He does a really good job of getting them in and out of games. Obviously I think he has a really good arm, a really strong arm, another. He threw on his back foot 68 yards last week for the touchdown, but I think his accuracy has improved.
One of the key areas in which Golding was impressed while watching Fields on tape is his ability to do line-of-scrimmage checks, his understanding of covers, and his mobility in the pocket to avoid pass rushers and move in a manner fluid to create time for its receptors to find downstream openings.
He has also seen Fields hurt defenses with his ability to come out of the pocket and fight for big wins, claiming that all of this makes Fields “a complete quarterback.”
Golding’s assessment of Fields was echoed by linebackers Christian Harris and Dylan Moses, with Harris hinting at some of Fields’ big scrambles in the semi-final victory over Clemson and his bombshells over Chris Olave and Jameson Williams.
Moses, on the other hand, compared Fields to a player that many people (including Fields himself) have compared him to in the past – and for those who don’t realize, Moses compared positively. .
“I’ve been watching Justin Fields ever since he got out of high school. I have always had praise for him, ”said Moses. “He kind of reminded me of a young Cam Newton or something. The guy has a lot of great talent. He can deliver the ball to his receivers, has a strong, athletic arm. He’s everything you want in a quarterback. Like I said, we respect him, and like I said, we go into the game confident and knowing that it will be a big challenge.
Impressions of Ryan Day the play-caller
Granted, Nick Saban doesn’t know Ryan Day very well. The closest they’ve faced each other on the pitch is when their schools lined up a home and home series for 2027 and 2028, and they haven’t established a close relationship so far from it all. Maybe it happens at some point.
But as of now, Saban knows Day as a coach widely based on second-hand information and what he’s gathered from watching the Buckeyes on a movie from afar.
“He’s doing a great job as a coach,” said Saban. “He’s a very good type of offensive player. He has an excellent plan in attack. Certainly does a great job of training his players to execute this plan. They are very well trained in every phase, and their team plays with great intangibles, discipline, tenacity, plays hard. Seem to have great solidarity in their team. So I think these are all great indicators of Ryan Day’s great job as a head coach and as a leader of his organization. I think he took a great opportunity and certainly did a remarkable job with it.
“They have one of the best teams in the country, no doubt about it.”
As an offensive coach and play scorer, Day forced his peers – including Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding – to take note. The Ohio State offense has steadily improved since Urban Meyer brought it on co-offensive in 2017 after his team put in a goose egg in the college football playoffs. Now, with Justin Fields in the quarterback and a quick game ranking third nationally with six yards per carry, he’s got things humming in Columbus.
What Golding – a 36-year-old in his third season coordinating Saban’s defense – saw Day’s offense made a big impression on him.
He pointed out how Day manipulates defenses with formations, moving the guys around to isolate them in clashes where Ohio State thinks he has individual advantages. Golding noted Day’s check-with-me system at the scrimmage line and mentioned how the head coach sometimes faked this.
“I think he did a really good job complementing those two things and staying fairly balanced,” Golding said. “And then mix the tempo play on top of that to create an explosive play, then they’ll hurry, and now they’ll hurry, then they’ll break it and go.” And then they’ll say, “Hurry up, kill, kill, kill, what are you in, let’s call the right play. Here’s two outs, here’s a quarterback batsman, let’s throw double poles and take the hit.” Obviously, I think a lot of things complement each other in the look, the running game, and the passing game, and depending on what you are they have the best game for that front in the running game or for this cover in the passing game. So I think you have to do a really good job of changing that.
“I just had to make the best decision for me”
Even if Jordan Battle hadn’t returned to Alabama on signing day two years ago, he still could have played in this season’s national championship game.
The # 2 Security in the Recruiting Class of 2019, Battle initially enlisted in Ohio State in June 2018. After continuing to visit other schools, however, Battle ultimately chose to sign with Alabama in December, shortly after Urban Meyer announced his retirement as Ohio. The head coach of the state.
Considering Ohio State’s inconsistent play in his high school this year, Battle would likely have played a major role in the Buckeyes’ defensive backfield this season. That said, sophomore safety has a major role behind the Alabama defense, starting all 12 Crimson Tide games except one this year. He recorded 63 total tackles, four break-ups and three tackles for the loss and had a 45-yard intercept return for a touchdown against Kentucky.
Battle has no regrets about the decision he made to join the Crimson Tide over the Buckeyes.
“I had to make the best decision for me,” Battle said. “Obviously you see I made the best decision for me, and that’s all that happened.
Battle said he doesn’t remember much of the recruiting process now that he’s been in Alabama for two years. But he still holds the state of Ohio in high regard even as he tries to beat the Buckeyes on Monday.
“I congratulate the state of Ohio,” Battle said. “Great coaching staff, great players. I just had to make the best decision for me towards the end to come to Alabama. I also give all the praise and all the excitement and joy in the state of Ohio.
[ad_2]
Source link