Kirk Herbstreit gives his keys to the game for Alabama and Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
The wait is nearly over as Alabama and Oklahoma will meet in the Orange Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. ET. The game has many games within the game, including Heisman winner Kyler Murray trying to outscore Heisman runner-up Tua Tagovailoa and Nick Saban’s defense trying to contain Lincoln Riley’s explosive and aggressive offense.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call with Chris Fowler and he shared his keys to the game and the matchups he’ll be watching and teases how he thinks this game will play out.
Murray and Tagovailoa are the chess pieces getting much of the attention, and deservedly so, but Herbstreit is locked into the coaches moving the chess pieces around.
“Lincoln Riley is as good an offensive mind as there is in coaching — college or pro,” Herbstreit said. “Here is going against Nick Saban’s defense that has a plan to study film and get ready. Typically, when Saban has time, his defenses played well so that battle will go a long way to determining the game.”
Alabama has the No. 4 scoring defense in the nation but they haven’t faced a player as dynamic as Murray or an offense that has as many weapons as the Sooners. Oklahoma can strike in a heartbeat with Murray at the helm. The play of receivers Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and CeeDee Lamb helped Murray win the Heisman. Coupled with the play of the offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s top unit, the aggressive play at the line of scrimmage has paved the way for backs Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon.
Don’t expect the Oklahoma offense to be intimidated by the Alabama defense where they deviate from what they did to get here. “I don’t think Lincoln Riley will face a defense where he thinks, ‘what are we gonna do here to score points?’. They’re gonna do what they do. They don’t have to trick them or change who they are.”
“Kyler Murray is going to execute the offense. It’s an up-tempo, in your face, aggressive offense that challenges the line of scrimmage. There’s a physicality at the line of scrimmage and the running back of Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon is a big part of who they are and they have to establish that talent and run game because it can’t be all about Kyler Murray.”
Oklahoma’s not a one-man show and neither is Alabama who will have Tagovailoa playing at about 80-85 percent as he recovers from ankle surgery after the SEC Championship Game. With all the attention paid to Tagovailoa all season long, it would be easy for the casual fan to forget about his supporting cast, but it’s every bit as dangerous as what Murray has at his disposal.
The star power shines bright with Biletnikoff Award winner Jerry Jeudy and a potential first round pick in tight end Irv Smith. Saban’s teams have been predicated on the run game, and that is still true despite the lights-out play from Tagovailoa. Damien Harris is the star, Najee Harris is the future star, but it’s Josh Jacobs who Herbstreit thinks has a chance to be the unsung hero.
“When you think of Alabama, you think of Tua, the incredible group of receivers led by Biletnikoff winner Jerry Jeudy, running backs, Damien and Najee Harris, but man, Josh Jacobs could be their best pro prospect on offense., Herbstreit said.”
“I would call him an ultra-back who can run between tackles, he’s powerful yet he can get outside and use his quickness. He can catch the ball, he can pass protect. Just the total package and he’s finally healthy. Josh Jacobs could be a guy that could be an unsung hero.”
Alabama is favored by 14 over Oklahoma on Orange Bowl Eve, but without making an official prediction because he’ll be on the call, Herbstreit thinks it’ll be closer than the spread would indicate.
“I think this has a chance to be similar to last year’s Rose Bowl (Georgia beat Oklahoma 54-48 in OT),” Herbstreit said. “The Oklahoma defense will have a hard time stopping Tua. I think Oklahoma’s offense has the chance to score on Alabama. Surprisingly, this could be a high-scoring game.”
You can watch Alabama vs. Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on ESPN at 8 p.m. EST.