Alabama and Florida to Finally Unveil Offensive Secrets in Saturday Showdown?

The jury is still out on just how good Florida and Alabama really are, but it won't stay that way for much longer.

The third-ranked Crimson Tide will host the unranked Gators on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, with both teams needing to make a statement to prove that they're actually back.

For Alabama, the cornerback issues that haunted head coach Nick Saban's crew appear to have been solved in wins over Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss. Was that a byproduct of Eddie Jackson's return and Cyrus Jones' development, or more due to weak competition?

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

At quarterback, Blake Sims has settled into the starting quarterback role. The senior has completed 75 percent of his passes (48-of-64) for 646 yards, four touchdowns, one pick and a 177.29 passer rating—third-best in the SEC among qualifying quarterbacks.

Florida's offense has rolled up 593.5 yards per game and 6.59 yards per play against Eastern Michigan and Kentucky, but at 6.2 yards per attempt, quarterback Jeff Driskel has yet to stretch the field.

Could the two traditional powers have been holding things back during the early part of the season, despite both playing close games?

Perhaps, and they could be unveiled this week.

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Time for OJ?

The search for Alabama tight end O.J. Howard has entered its fourth week, with the 6'6", 240-pounder nowhere to be found.

Sure, Saban has been asked.

Garry Jones/Associated Press

"O.J. Howard is a guy that we need to get more involved in probably what we're doing," he said during last Wednesday's coaches teleconference. "I think he has some capabilities to make plays that we need to take advantage of. He has been open a few times and we just haven't gotten him the ball."

Nothing changed against Southern Miss, as Howard finished the game with a grand total of zero catches on the season.

That's going to change at some point, and there's no time like the present. Alabama has a small village of ultra-talented wide receivers outside, but Florida's secondary is legit—despite the way the stats looked against Kentucky's air raid offense last weekend.

According to The Associated Press' John Zenor, Saban knows that Amari Cooper, his star wide receiver, is going to have his work cut out for him going up against Vernon Hargreaves III:

Instead of Sims getting into a rhythm with Cooper—as has been the case for the first three weeks—hooking up with Howard might be an attractive alternative early. This would keep the Gators defense on its heels throughout the game.

An Added Dimension

Remember when Florida's new offense was expected to put stress on opposing defenses by utilizing Driskel's skills on the ground?

I do.

"I think this offense fits him better as opposed to what we may have been doing before," head coach Will Muschamp said at SEC media days in July. "To utilize his athleticism and space, some of the things he's able to do athletically, is going to benefit him and us."

John Raoux/Associated Press

Driskel feels the same way.

"I think teams know that I'm fast," Driskel told Bleacher Report in June. "I've put on film that I can run by DBs, and that's talked about during the week when defenses are getting ready for us. It's just something else that the defense has to account for and is kind of where the game is moving."

Through two games this season, though, Driskel hasn't seen his production on the ground pick up. He has only posted seven carries for 24 yards on the season—3.5 carries per game.

For reference's sake, Driskel averaged 9.1 carries per game in 2012, when he led the Gators to a Sugar Bowl appearance.

Has he been making the wrong reads?

Just to make sure, Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports went back to look at the tape from the Kentucky game:

That doesn't necessarily mean he won't run more in the future, though.

Whether he's been told not to run or the plays haven't called for him to take off, he hasn't been as much of a weapon on the ground as anticipated. Don't count on it staying that way forever.

Driskel has legitimate breakaway speed, and Alabama's defenses have struggled with mobile quarterbacks such as Auburn's Nick Marshall and former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel in the past.

Even Oklahoma's Trevor Knight—who lit the Tide up through the air—made an impact with his legs, getting outside of the pocket and making throws on the run in last season's Sugar Bowl.

Can 'Bama Stretch The Field?

For the most part, Sims has been used as a game manager through three games. Sure, he's averaging 10.1 yards per attempt, but that stat is inflated quite a bit by receivers—namely, Cooper—getting chunks of yards after the catch.

Is this the week when Sims stretches the field?

We talked about the possibility of Howard making more of an impact, and Sims' lone interception of the season was on a seam route downfield into double coverage against West Virginia.

Whether it's Howard down the seam, the likely return of wide receiver DeAndrew White—as reported by TideSports.com's Aaron Suttles—Cooper simply beating Hargreaves or all of the above, a downfield passing attack would keep opposing defenses honest.

Those running lanes for Sims and Alabama's stable of running backs would then be the size of the Grand Canyon.

Can Sims do it?

He hasn't had many chances, and maybe that's by design. At some point, though, the Crimson Tide offense is going to have to take a few risks.

If the defense struggles with Driskel and/or top receiving target Demarcus Robinson on Saturday, it'll be time to see if Sims has what it takes deep downfield.

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Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report and co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.