5 Reasons Why Ohio State Can Pull The Upset Over Alabama In The Sugar Bowl
By Daniel
The Ohio State Buckeyes will upset the Alabama Crimson Tide — here’s five reasons why
The Allstate Sugar Bowl between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Ohio State at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA is going to be watched by millions on New Years Day. Many college football fans are anticipating a blowout by Alabama which would vault them into the National Championship Game facing the winner of No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State. In the immortal words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.”
Here are five reasons why Ohio State will not only be able to compete in the Sugar Bowl against ‘Bama, but why they could very possibly pull out the massive upset. This upset would be massive as the Crimson Tide opened as 9-point favorites over the Buckeyes. Sure Ohio State is onto its third-string quarterback, but this claim isn’t as crazy as it sounds.
5. Alabama’s Defensive Secondary Is Vulnerable
The Crimson Tide has the 82nd ranked pass defense in the nation. On Jan. 1 the Buckeyes are going to look to take advantage of that fact. Ohio State’s senior wide receiver Devin Smith is coming off the biggest game of his career (137 yards, 3 TDs) against what was a stingy Wisconsin Badgers defense. Smith is known for hauling in deep balls and new quarterback Cardale Jones has proven that he isn’t afraid to throw it up after averaging 21.41 yards per completion in his only start.
4. Ohio State Is Riding A Bigger Wave of Momentum Than Alabama
The Crimson Tide have won eight straight games including three consecutive blowouts, but they still aren’t as hot as the Buckeyes. Ohio State has won 11 straight games including three consecutive blowouts, namely the 59-0 win it dropped on No. 13 Wisconsin in the Big Ten Conference Championship Game at Indianapolis. This team is on fire and is coming off one of the most impressive wins in team history on a neutral site no less. This momentum and confidence will carry Ohio State into the Sugar Bowl with the utmost confidence in its abilities. Both teams will be confident, but the Buckeyes just have a bit more going for them.
3. The Best Running Back In This Game Plays For Ohio State
Junior running T.J. Yeldon and sophomore running back Derrick Henry supply ‘Bama with an incredibly dangerous one-two punch out of the backfield. Both have ran for exactly 10 touchdowns on the year and both are closing in on 1,000 yard seasons. But it is Ohio State’s sophomore running back Ezekiel Elliott that will steal the show. In the last five weeks both Yeldon and Henry have only ran for 100 yards once, but Ezekiel has ran for 100 yards four times over that span. Over the last three weeks he’s scored five touchdowns and is averaging 149 yards on the ground. He has a chance to gash the Crimson Tide’s defense in the Sugar Bowl. In a bowl game one big player can make all the difference.
2. If The Game Turns Into A Shootout Ohio State Is Ready
If the Sugar Bowl is a tough grind-it-out type of game then either team could win, but I’d have to believe that ‘Bama would pull it out. However if this game turns into a shootout I’d definitely have to think that Ohio State is going win the game. The Buckeyes are fifth in the nation in scoring (45.2 points per game) and even with third-string quarterback Jones they are a lethal offense. They possess great speed and can score with anyone. The Crimson Tide have been dangerous on offense this year, but not quite as great (37.1 points per game). Alabama’s offense takes a more methodical approach and isn’t exactly built to continually score at a high rate or make a comeback.
1. Alabama Has Struggled With Teams That Can Run The Ball
The Crimson Tide have dominated a lot of teams in 2014, but they have struggled to win against some teams. The teams that ‘Bama struggled against (excluding Ole Miss which beat ‘Bama) are Mississippi State, LSU and Auburn. All three of those teams have been great at running the ball in 2014. Mississippi State is ranked 20th in the nation, LSU is ranked 29th and Auburn is ranked 12th in rushing yards.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are better than all of those teams and are ranked 11th in the country in rushing yards. Will ‘Bama have similar trouble against Ohio State and its phenomenal running back Elliott? We’ll find out Jan. 1, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Buckeyes run all over them.