Peach Bowl: Bama Hammer Staff Predictions
Here’s the how the Bama Hammer staff sees today’s Peach Bowl matchup between Alabama and Washington playing out.
The Bama Hammer staff got together to give their predictions for the Peach Bowl.
Chris Dodson
Yes, Washington is worthy to be in the playoff. Yes, Jake Browning is a stellar player. And yes, Chris Peterson will have a trick play or two to get some momentum.
But Washington is undersized and has not faced a team of this caliber all season. Until that happens tomorrow, Alabama looks to get a handle on this game by the second quarter.
31-17 Crimson Tide.
Mike McCray
The problem for Washington is that they haven’t seen anything like what they’ll see from Alabama on Saturday — on either side of the ball.
On offense, the Tide boasts an elite-level power running game and a true dual-threat quarterback. The Huskies haven’t faced that combination all season. And the Alabama defense is something few teams have seen in any season.
Ultimately the Tide front seven on defense will be the difference in the game. Without the ability to run, the Huskies will be forced to throw far more often than they’d like – usually against a four-man rush with seven defenders in pass coverage. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Alabama 34, Washington 16
Stoney Keeley
It’s been nearly a hundred years since Alabama headed West for Pasadena to upset Washington 20-19 in the Rose Bowl. That game paved the way for college football in the South to earn respect on the national stage. It’d be really unfortunate for Tide fans if, after all these years, Washington enacted revenge in this game. But, the magnitude of a Huskies win here would be comparable to the 1926 Rose Bowl – huge. If anyone is going to throw the kitchen sink at Alabama, it’ll be Chris Peterson. The Huskies have a lot of speed in the secondary and an overall underrated defense, but the Tide should be able to run the ball and control the clock. On defense, look for Alabama to pressure Jake Browning into a key mistake.
The trickeration will keep this game closer than Las Vegas thinks, but Bama still pulls away, 31-24 Tide.
Bobby Martin
Offensively Washington is fully capable of putting up points against any team. The Huskies have several playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, namely Jake Browning, Myles Gaskin, and John Ross.
On defense the Washington secondary boasts an impressive 19 interceptions and leads the nation in turnover ratio. The Huskies will however be without two of their top linebackers. Washington’s best linebacker Joe Mathis and leading tackler Azeem Victor were lost for the season due to injuries.
All that that said, the game is won in the trenches. Look for the Alabama defense to harass Browning all game long and stifle the Washington ground game. On offense, Alabama should have no problem running the ball with Hurts, Harris, Jacobs, and Scarbrough.
In the end the Tide will roll. Bama-34 Washington-17
Ron Evans
The latest buzz suggests the U Dub defense has as many NFL draft picks as the Tide. Even if that bold claim is true, overall talent disparity and depth of the Tide should prevail.
The Washington secondary is good enough to allow them to load the box. With some sporadic exceptions, Jalen Hurts’ passing has been inconsistent. Unless Hurts has a breakout game, points may not come easy for the Tide.
The Washington O-line will struggle to get any push against the Bama front. If Browning is sharp and delivers the ball quickly, he can have some success against the Tide.
If Chris Petersen conjures up some trick play success, the game could be tight into the 4th quarter.
Alabama 24, Washington 17
Meredith Hornsby
Alabama will start slow, in typical Bama fashion. I’m not predicting who will score first, but I think it will take the Tide a few drives to settle. Kiffin will annoy everyone with jet sweeps and bubble screens. At the same time, Bama will wear down the Huskies’ defense by forcing them to cover both sides of the field. Alabama’s D will be vicious and unrelenting. Washington might score early but if Jonathan Allen or Reuben Foster can put a hand on Jake Browning…watch out. Alabama comes on strong offensively in the 2nd half, and wins – but doesn’t cover the spread.
I predict a relatively low scoring game: 27-17, Bama.
Bandit
This game is going to mirror some of Alabama’s other big games this year. While Alabama may be in control for most of the game Washington’s defense will keep them in the game, and within striking distance. Chris Peterson is a top coach, and while no coach is on the same level as Nick Saban, Peterson is at the top of his profession. Washington is going to struggle against Alabama’s D, but Alabama may face some struggles of their own against Washington’s D. Alabama will score, but so will Washington thanks to some big plays. Alabama will dominate time of possession and eventually wear down the Huskies, but look out for Bama having a rough first and third quarter as is our way. Alabama wins, but it’s a much closer game than everyone is assuming it will be. This might be a Peach Bowl for the ages.
Alabama 24, Washington 17
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