TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 13: Isaiah Buggs #49 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after a safety against the Missouri Tigers in the third quarter of the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Alabama won 39-10. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Alabama Football: Sooners offense will sputter under Tide defense
TUSCALOOSA, AL – NOVEMBER 04: Quinnen Williams #92 of the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The defining culture of Alabama football under Nick Saban is hard-nosed, make his ‘butt’ quit defense. On December 29, the suffocating, rigid defense faces its biggest challenge of the season, Oklahoma in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
Alabama football starts its quest for an unprecedented eighteenth national championship on December 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The Orange Bowl carries more intrigue and subplots than a Martin Scorcese flick. Here are four thrilling matchups between legendary icons within the last thirty-five years. Bird and Magic. DeNiro and Pacino. Warriors and Cavaliers. Batman and Superman.
Certainly, the colossal matchup of football giants Alabama and Oklahoma provides plenty of exciting headlines.
Tua and Kyler.
Saban and Riley.
Alabama and Oklahoma.
Heisman winner versus Heisman runner-up. Celebrated, accomplished coach versus young upstart hotshot. Two blue blood programs competing for national superiority.
The number one attention-grabbing headline is the dynamite Oklahoma offense versus Saint Nick’s stingy, determined defense.
Oklahoma, you are not playing the Big 12
The vaunted Oklahoma offense garnered plenty of praise during the postseason award circuit. The 800 pound Joe Moore Award Trophy for best offensive line resides in Norman. Kyler Murray left Manhattan with the coveted Heisman Trophy firmly in his grasp. Possibly, the game’s brightest offensive mind, Lincoln Riley, paces the sidelines in Oklahoma.
Defensive minds Nick Saban, Tosh Lupoi and Pete Golding, need an eccentric game plan to slow down the nation’s number one scoring offense (49.5 points per game). Yes, the top scoring offense resided in the defensive wasteland of the Big 12.
Will Saban and company incorporate an outlandish scheme like Bill Oliver incorporated against the top-ranked Miami in 1993? No.
National analysts and experts are confident Alabama defeats Oklahoma with ease.
