Alabama Football 2011: More Wildcat and 4 Other Things You Are Guaranteed to See

Each year every college football team in the nation does a few things here and there you wouldn't have expected before the season started.  

Nick Saban is no different.  

Though he's known to call very conservative plays and manage the clock, his teams still stun the crowd with a few wild plays each year.  

The Tide had the "wow" factor in 2008 and 2009, but it was somewhat lacking in 2010. You "wow" the audience with big plays but not necessarily trick plays.  

We'll take a look at some big plays that you are sure to see this coming season.

An Increase in the Passing Game

First off, some might laugh at this and say, "How will they possibly throw more than they did last year with the running back corps they have?"  

The answer to that is the fact that both A.J. McCarron and Phillip Sims are fantastic quarterbacks, though McCarron is clearly more seasoned.  Regardless of which of these two quarterbacks wins the starting position, you'll see a heavier passing game.  

You'll see a lot of passing in the early easy games against opponents such as Nick Saban's alma mater the Kent State Golden Flashes.  However, in the early conference games, you'll see a more run-oriented game as the starting quarterback gets his feet wet.  After that, the passing game will open up considerably.

Big plays typically come from the passing game, and, though the 2010 season saw a heavier passing game than 2009, the team was lacking the big plays.  

You'll occasionally see a running back break free for a touchdown run, but the most common big plays come from the deep ball and screen pass.  

Alabama has been known to be heavy on the screen passes the last few years.  Mark Ingram took plenty, as did Julio Jones, such as the 73-yard touchdown play against LSU in 2009.

Running Backs Hauling in More Catches

In 2009, Mark Ingram had less than 300 yards receiving, and Trent Richardson barely passed 100 yards.  In 2010 they both almost broke 300 yards.  

You can tell that Jim McElwain wants to get his running backs more involved with the passing game, and with Julio Jones gone after having over 1,100 yards last year, it is very likely that we'll see that.  

Marquise Maze is a very fast and dangerous deep threat, and Darius Hanks is a tough receiver who isn't afraid to catch in the middle and take a hit.  Though they are both excellent and reliable receivers, Julio was the star.  

We also have some very good young receivers, especially with Marvin Shinn and Bradley Sylve possibly getting in on a few plays.  Kevin Norwood should see a lot of playing time if we're assuming that Nick Saban has forgotten about his silly dive into the endzone last year.

Trent Richardson has proven and reliable hands, but the real show-stealer will be Demetrius Hart, who Rivals.com has listen as a 5-star prospect now.  

While an excellent scat back, this guy can flat out catch a football.  Though a small target, he is quick, elusive, and seems to have a knack for catching uncatchable balls.  

Nick Saban isn't afraid to play freshmen, especially his running backs.  Expect to see a lot of two back formations between him and Richardson.  Nothing confuses a defense like two spectacular running backs that can catch a ball on the field at the same time.

More Wildcat

Alabama was ferocious with the wildcat in 2009.  Though, most of that was Mark Ingram and his unbelievable wildcat drive against South Carolina that defied human stamina. You also saw some passing mixed in as well, such the reverse to Greg McElroy who had lined up at receiver and delived a 50-yard strike to Julio Jones.  

In 2010, however, teams prepared very well for Ingram in the wildcat, but Alabama showed their depth and talent and went elsewhere, such as the Marquis Maze touchdown pass against Florida this past year.  

Richardson can take a direct snap and pound the line of scrimmage probably better than Mark Ingram could. Add in another back, such as the Tide's battering ram running back Jalston Fowler—who should weigh in at about 240 lbs—and you are causing a ruckus.  

Factor in Marquis Maze as a viable option to take a direct snap, and the opponents will be trying to prepare for just too many different plays.   

More Defensive Touchdowns

The 2011 Crimson Tide is having the good fortune of returning one of the best secondaries in the nation.

The growing pains that allowed a few key big plays through are gone.  There are four excellent, and now well-seasoned, cornerbacks in Dre Kirkpatrick, DeQuan Menzie, Demarcus Milliner, and Phelon Jones.

The youngest is Milliner, a sophomore, who played most of last season and started quite a few times for an injured, but now healthy, Menzie.  Nick Saban doesn't start a true freshman unless he's certain they can perform, and, if nothing else, Nick Saban knows cornerbacks.

The scariest part for SEC quarterbacks, however, are the Alabama safeties.  They are fronted by returning senior Mark Barron, who was a leader in interceptions in 2009 with seven, and Robert Lester who overshadowed him 2010 by tying for second in the nation with eight.  Robbie Green is returning from suspension in 2010 and is expected to compete for a starting position with Lester—though Saban is not a forgive-and-forget kind of guy.

Add in our nickel package specialist, walk-on senior, Will Lowery, who's as scrappy as they come and doesn't hesitate for a moment when going up against much larger opponents, and you've got a safety squad for the ages.

In addition, any SEC quarterback that thinks he will be safe throwing short against Alabama has to think again.  In 2010, freshman wonder C.J. Mosley dropped plenty of jaws when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns.  Expect to see him lining up at middle linebacker again.  

Alabama has a scary defensive line that is expected to pass rush the pants off opponents, and the linebackers and secondary are returning almost all their starters that finished 2010 ranked 13th nationally in passing defense with 176 yards allowed per game.  

Expect to see a defense like the one in 2009 that held Ryan Mallett and his gaudy stats to 12 completions on 35 attempts.     

"Make His Ass Quit" — Nick Saban

They did it to LSU in 2008 and did it again in 2009; they made them quit.  

Brandon Deaderick's helmet spear aside, 'Bama played a clean and ruthless game.  They made Jordan Jefferson quit.  

The viciousness of the 2008 and 2009 teams seemed to be absent in 2010.  2011, however, should see that hunger return with as much force as ever.  Expect to see some opponents give up before half, much like the unfortunate Michigan State Spartans in last year's bowl game. 

On a personal, biased note, I sincerely hope Alabama does this to LSU again next year, as I have no love for Les Miles and the team nor it's cheerleaders with a complete lack of modesty.  

I have felt very sorry for Jordan Jefferson in the past, though.  If you ask an LSU fan what they want the most for their team, other than Les Miles' issues resolved, the answer is always "a new quarterback".