I’m curious to see where Nick Saban puts Jonathan Allen on the D-line this year as he will probably be the leader of the line.
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The Crimson Tide faced plenty of large spreads but did manage to cover in eight of the 15 games that they played in last season, covering by an averaging margin of +4.7 points per game. The Alabama Crimson Tide and USC Trojans will open their season on Saturday at Jerryworld (AT&T Stadium) in Arlington.
OUR EARLY PICK: Alabama has questions at quarterback but Nick Saban’s team also recruits well on the defensive side of the ball, so expect the Tide to be strong defensively again this season. That includes beating MI in 2012 and Wisconsin last September in the stadium where they also won the CFP semifinal in the Cotton Bowl. “I think we’ll be fine this season”.
As for the Trojans, they will likely play this game like it is the national championship.
Foster isn’t the only lean player on Alabama’s defense this year. I still think MI is one more year away.
The 2016 season kicks off a new era at USC. Scarbrough is a monster, and although he hasn’t proven anything yet, he has the talent to lead the Crimson Tide to yet another title. What if “big” Zach Banner and his battery mates saw before them an opportunity to not only help correct the perceived notion of being unable to compete for a Pac-12 title, much less hang with Alabama, and soar towards loftier goals.
After weighing 240 pounds past year, Foster has slimmed his 6-foot-1 frame to 225 pounds this season.
After going 8-6 past year, USC returns 15 starters for its first full season under head coach Clay Helton. “It’s why you come to USC, for sure”.
What often gets lost in Kiffin’s smirks, his cryptic and odd Twitter trolling, and the myriad takes on why he was elevated before his time as a head coach and then crashed so abruptly, is that he’s pretty darn good at X’s and O’s and getting his offense into the end zone. Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett have both taken snaps with the first team offense this week, and both could see playing time this Saturday against the Trojans.
Crompton wouldn’t, hitting wide-open Tennessee fullback Austin Johnson on a seam route out of the I-formation for an easy 38-yard pitch-and-catch touchdown after the Gamecocks unleashed a zero-coverage blitz on the Volunteers’ second offensive play – just as Kiffin predicted. “It’s not about coach when we go to LSU”. Not only does he play well as a receiver, he’s physical, really a great competitor. The Trojans are thin on proven bodies on the defensive line and return only one starter in the front seven. Martin has been on staff there since 2012, and Pendergast was previously the Trojans’ defensive coordinator in 2013, before returning to the National Football League the past two seasons.
“Coach Kiffin is the offensive coordinator, so that is going to separate (Ridley) a lot from everybody else”, Jackson said. He called him “a Dez Bryant-type receiver”. Alabama counters with Calvin Ridley, who emerged as one of the SEC’s best as a freshman. He will return punts and kickoffs for special teams coach John Baxter, who is known for finding ways to get playmakers in space. The truth is USC’s schedule is downright brutal, so much so that the Trojans have another four-game stretch to open the season (see below) that could have very easily made the top 5. The Tigers are just an appetizer with Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State still awaiting the Badgers – and that’s just within the first six games of the year.
Browne sets up with capable skill position players, with Smith-Schuster, along with running backs Justin Davis and Ronald Jones, who both eclipsed 900 rushing yards last season.
What is our final score, MVP, and how do we get there?
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“We’ve got to be relentless”, Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy said. Guys like Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, and many others comes to mind when thinking of talented quarterbacks who played for the Trojans.
