Alabama Football: How to stop Kyle Pitts in SEC Championship Game

How will Alabama football stop Kyle Pitts?

Ahead of the SEC Championship game, Alabama football has plenty of confidence. The Crimson Tide are firing on all cylinders, and the Gators are coming off of a terrible loss to the LSU Tigers. However, there is one piece to the Florida offense that Alabama cannot account for.

Kyle Pitts is the most dangerous tight end in football. With his size and speed, he is a matchup nightmare. He has been a wrecking ball all season, and his absence in Florida’s last game was apparent.

Pitts will play a pivotal role in the SEC Championship game. However, Alabama football won’t let him run rampant. How will the Crimson Tide stop the Florida offense?

The key to stopping one player is balance. You can stop any weapon if you put enough defenders on them, but that makes it too easy for other weapons to attack. Kyle Trask is more than capable of finding the open receiver, and Kadarius Toney must also be accounted for.

Because of this, Florida’s weapons are a package deal. The good news is that the Gators have practically no running game. That means that Alabama will likely use the defensive line to stop the run and commit more defensive backs to the passing game. Expect plenty of nickel and dime packages in this game.

I think Alabama’s plan will be to stop Toney with Patrick Surtain. Surtain can be left on an island, and he is good enough to stop Toney by himself.

If that works, Alabama football will have the numbers to double Pitts. I expect that they will use Jobe as the primary defender, but expect Brian Branch and Jordan Battle to step in as well. Daniel Wright can be used, but his tackling issues are a concern.

Christian Harris is not a guarantee to play, but he would be good to use. Harris has the skills of a defensive back, but he is strong enough to fight at the catch point. Expect the Crimson Tide to also use multiple schemes to stop him. That will keep the Florida Gators guessing all game.

Pitts is the most dangerous in the red zone. Ideally, the Tide defense will try to keep them from marching down the field. That will involve coverage pressure from the defensive line. Alabama’s defense has stepped up each and every game, so watch out for Christian Barmore to dominate.

Stopping Kyle Pitts will be a team effort. That being said, these specific players will be the primary defenders. As long as Alabama can keep him from singlehandedly taking over this game, there is no way that Florida can do enough to keep up with the potent Tide offense.