Oklahoma vs. Alabama
January 2, 2014, 8:30 PM EST
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Oklahoma Season Review
The Sooners are back in a BCS bowl game after what must have seemed like forever for Oklahoma fans.
After two disappointing seasons, the Sooners turned it around in 2013 finishing the year 10-2 with wins over Notre Dame, Texas Tech and their biggest win coming against rival Oklahoma State to punch their ticket to a BCS bowl.
The team lost the Red River Rivalry this year, but it’s most embarrassing loss came when they were blown out by Baylor 41-12 While Stoops has had to coach through injuries and suspensions, he relied on the running game which ranked 18th in the country averaging 236 yards per game, and defense with a group that gave up just 21 points per game.
The team bounced back in 2013 with the help of running backs Brennan Clay and Damian Williams.
The duo combined for 272 carries on the year, with Clay leading in rushing yards with 913 and Williams leading in touchdowns with seven.
But with the dismissal of Williams in November, the team will have to rely heavily on Clay and quarterbacks Trevor Knight and Blake Bell.
Stoops hasn’t announced yet who will start at quarterback for the Sooners, but neither quarterback present a serious threat throwing the football against Alabama.
Alabama Season Review
It was a disappointing season for the Crimson Tide and Nick Saban, preseason favorites to make it back to the BCS National Championship in seek of a three-peat, they came close but fell just short of perfection.
Alabama won their first eleven games and usually in dominating fashion with their only close battle coming back in September in a 49-42 shootout win over Texas A&M.
The team was poised for another trip to the BCS Championship heading into the Iron Bowl. With just 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Alabama was leading 28-21 and could smell a victory.
Auburn tied the game with 32 seconds left then the unthinkable happened when Nick Saban made the decision to go for a game-winning 57-yard field goal attempt with one second left.
The kick was up and short, leaving Auburn’s Chris Davis to try and return it and the rest is history.
The Crimson Tide play a physical brand of football, hitting your defense in the mouth with their running game and shutting down the best player on your offense.
On offense the Crimson Tide rely on the two-headed monster of T.J. Yeldon and Kenyon Drake. Drake carried the ball 92 times while Yeldon handled the heavier workload with 190 carries.
Yeldon led the team in rushing yards (1,163) and touchdowns (13), while Drake added a very respectable 694 yards and eight touchdowns. Alabama will use the running game early to open things up for A.J. McCarron in his final start for the Crimson Tide.
While McCarron may not provide any big plays he doesn’t make mistakes and does a very good job moving down field and not turning the ball over.
McCarron finished the year with 26 touchdowns to just five interceptions, and now looks to finish his career with a Sugar Bowl win.
Game Matchup
Trevor Knight vs. Alabama Defense
While Stoops still hasn’t announced who will start at quarterback for the Sooners, Knight will still be involved in the offense. Knight started out the season as the starter but lost his job to Bell a few weeks later.
After taking the job back, Knight injured his shoulder against Oklahoma State, but was cleared to practice in full during the team’s rest period and is ready to go against Oklahoma.
While comparisons to Manziel may be far-fetched, Knight does possess the running ability that Nick Saban’s defense often struggles to stop. His ability to roll outside the pocket and throw on the run or keep the ball will provide a test for this defense. Knight may not do much in the passing department this game, but should find plenty of opportunities to run with Damian Williams gone.
Alabama Wide Receivers vs. Oklahoma Secondary
The key battle in this game will be between Aaron Colvin and Amari Cooper, but there is plenty more to focus on in this battle.
Oklahoma will be focused on stopping the Crimson Tide running attack and putting the game on the shoulders of McCarron. Senior wide receiver Kevin Norwood had a strong year with 538 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
McCarron will have time to throw in this game, so the wide receivers should have time to get open. The Sooners defense is 14th in the country having allowed just 2,395 receiving yards this season.
Prediction: Alabama 35 Oklahoma 17
Draft Impact
C.J. Mosley: The best prospect in this game will be Alabama’s linebacker C.J. Mosley, a projected top-10 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Mosley plays very well against the run and pass, also an incredibly smart football player.
Mosley can fit into any NFL defense playing either inside or outside linebacker, and this game should only help cement his stock as a top-10 talent in this draft.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: Call him Ha Ha or Ha’Sean, either way there isn’t much doubt who is the best safety prospect in this draft class. He is an athletic safety who plays very well in coverage, using his athleticism to roam and has the ball skills to go up and create turnovers.
He still needs to show more willingness to come up and tackle against the run, but this game should provide the perfect opportunity for him to display his hard-hitting style for NFL scouts.
Cyrus Kouandjio: After starting the year as a potential top-10 talent, Kouandjio really fell on his face out of the gates and slid down the rankings. While he has made some improvements as the year progressed, many are now starting to see him as a future right tackle and more of an early-second or late-first round prospect. Kouandjio admitted he focused on the draft too much early in the year and he has now focused on just playing football. With a strong performance, he could decide to enter the draft and solidify his spot in the first round.
Aaron Colvin: Colvin has battled injuries throughout his time with the Sooners but he should be healthy in this game and is presented a star match up against wide receiver Amari Cooper, a future first-round draft pick. Colvin has had over a month to watch Cooper on film and game plan for him, and this will be a battle to focus on in this game. Colvin is a promising prospect but with concerns, if he can step up in this game and quiet Cooper it will go a long way in elevating his draft stock.