It took a miracle of a final play in the Iron Bowl to prevent Alabama from reaching yet another National Championship Game last season. And with key losses on both sides of the ball, this Crimson Tide team may find it a lot more challenging to get back to those heights. Nontheless, with head coach Nick Saban still on board, the Tide remain one of the teams to beat in college football this season.
‘Bama is also one of the teams to beat in the ultra-competitive SEC. Check out how we see that cutthroat conference playing out in our SEC Preview, and read on for more on the Crimson Tide.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]2014 Alabama Crimson Tide Season Preview
Key Player – Trey DePriest
Everyone knows on which side Alabama’s bread is buttered: the defensive side. With Butkus Award winner and weakside linebacker C.J. Mosley gone to the NFL, his big cleats will now be filled by the defense’s new star and leader, senior linebacker Trey DePriest.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]DePriest had 65 tackles, 7.5 for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception alongside Mosley last season. He’ll need to up his game closer to Mosley’s level (he had 108 tackles last year), especially since he’ll also serve as this year’s signal-caller of Alabama’s much vaunted defense.
Strength – Running Game
Defense is almost always a strength of Nick Saban-coached teams, but arguably the most talent on the team this year resides in the offense’s backfield. The ‘Bama running attack will be led by junior T.J. Yeldon, who had a stellar 2013, rushing for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns.
You’d think a junior coming off back-to-back thousand-yard seasons would be a lock to hold down the no. 1 spot on the depth chart, but such is sophomore Derrick Henry’s potential that he may just take a few more carries away from Yeldon. Henry, a +4,000 bet for the 2014 Heisman, provided a glimpse of that potential with his 161 total yards and two touchdowns in the Sugar Bowl defeat to Oklahoma.
Kenyan Drake, who rushed for almost 700 yards last season, rounds out the Tide’s stacked rushing attack that will give SEC defenses a lot of headaches.
Weakness – Uncertainty at Quarterback
It’s not so much a weakness as it is an uncertainty. With the loss of the sure-handed AJ McCarron, Alabama won’t have the stability they’ve enjoyed at quarterback for the last four years.
There’s certainly talent in that position, led by Florida State transfer Jacob Coker. Although he hasn’t actually started a college game in his career (through no fault of his own; he served as backup to EJ Manuel and Jameis Winston, who are no slouches), Coker looks to have the physical tools (good size, strong arm) to excel.
The job isn’t his yet, though. He’ll need to fend off senior Blake Sims and redshirt freshman Cooper Bateman for the starting gig, but he’s the early front-runner. Coker will have weapons at his disposal both on the ground (Yeldon, Henry and Drake) and in the air with star wideout Amari Cooper (104 catches for 1,736 yards and 15 TDs last season). He’ll just need to prove he’s capable of utilizing them effectively enough.
Key Game – November 29 vs. Auburn
There’s no doubt which game will be marked on Nick Saban’s calendar this year: November 29 vs. Auburn. Alabama’s hopes of going to a third-straight National Championship Game went down the drain no thanks to Chris Davis’ immortal “Kick Six” in the Iron Bowl last year.
Apart from the revenge angle, there’s also the small matter of the SEC West title and a trip to the conference championship game up for grabs when Saban and the Tide host Gus Malzahn’s Tigers in Tuscaloosa later this year.
Writer’s Prediction
Coker experiences some growing pains in his first starting gig. As a result, the Tide take a step back this year and finish 10-2.
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