SEC Championship 2014: Biggest Keys to Victory in Alabama vs. Missouri Battle
On paper, the Missouri Tigers don’t have a chance to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2014 SEC Championship Game.
After all, Missouri lost to Indiana, got blown out by Georgia and played a tissue-soft conference schedule that missed most of the formidable SEC West opponents. Alabama is the closest thing to a dynasty we have seen in college football the last 10 years and has the inside track on a College Football Playoff spot.
However, they don’t play the games on paper. Read on for a preview and some of the biggest keys to the SEC Championship Game.
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Alabama vs. Missouri
Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live
Odds: Alabama -14.5, via Odds Shark, as of Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET
Keys to Victory
Missouri Pressure vs. Alabama Offensive Line
Line play is always one of the most overlooked keys in any football game, and that will be no different during the SEC title clash.
The most interesting aspect of this game will be Missouri’s defensive line against Alabama’s offensive line. The Tigers led the SEC with 40 sacks this season, largely because of Shane Ray and Markus Golden. Ray finished atop the SEC leaderboard with 14 sacks, while Golden tallied nine sacks as well.
However, Alabama’s offensive line is the best in the conference and allowed only 11 sacks the entire season. Cam Robinson and Co. will have to slow Ray and Golden down so Amari Cooper and the Alabama receivers have enough time to get open downfield.
One way to neutralize a talent gap is with consistent pressure. A few sacks can force the Crimson Tide into 2nd- and 3rd-and-long situations, which would also take the rushing attack out of the picture.
Matt Hayes of Sporting News and Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports both had complimentary things to say about the dominant Missouri defensive line:
If the Tigers can get consistent pressure on Blake Sims, this game could go off script.
Backfields
Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry are the SEC running backs who make the most headlines in this matchup, but Missouri’s Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy are incredibly dangerous in their own right.
ESPN Stats & Info compared the two combinations, and the statistics are much closer than many would guess:
| Rush Yds | 1,639 | 1,696 |
| Yds Per Att | 5.30 | 5.06 |
| 10+ Yd Runs | 47 | 51 |
| Rush TD | 16 | 13 |
The running game will serve a different purpose for each team. Alabama will use Yeldon and Henry to force Missouri defenders closer to the box, which will open Cooper up for the big play downfield off play-action passes. It’s hard enough to stop Cooper as it is without devoting extra defenders to slowing down the run.
The run game will also slow down the pass rush for just a second if the Missouri defensive line has to hesitate to help with the run. With Ray and Golden pinning their ears back and attacking Blake Sims, every second counts.
As for Missouri, it will use the run to shorten the game as the underdog. The most effective way to stop Yeldon, Henry and Cooper would be to keep them on the sidelines while the Missouri offense does its work, so if the Tigers can consistently move the chains and keep the clock running, it will greatly improve their chances at an upset.
Amari Cooper
Cooper is arguably the best player in the country and single-handedly swung the Iron Bowl. Auburn made the mistake of covering him with one defender on a number of occasions, and the end result was 224 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He finished the regular season with 1,573 receiving yards and 14 touchdown catches.
Stopping Cooper is much easier said than done, but a team can’t beat Alabama if it lets him go off. Florida Atlantic gave up 189 receiving yards and a touchdown, Florida gave up 201 yards and three touchdowns, Texas A&M gave up 140 yards and two touchdowns, Tennessee allowed 224 yards and two touchdowns and Auburn saw its Iron Bowl chances slip away.
Cooper also saves his best performances for the biggest moments. In three games against Auburn, an SEC title game and two bowls, he is averaging 144.2 yards and has nine touchdowns.
Missouri cornerback Aarion Penton discussed the matchup, via Tod Palmer of The Kansas City Star.
“He’ll be the best guy I’ve played against by far," Penton said. "He’s a very elite player and everything he does makes him elite. But that’s why I came to this school, to face people like him. It will be a great challenge.”
No argument here.
Prediction: Alabama 31, Missouri 14
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