Descent into the Great Unknown: How Alabama Can Best Prepare for Cardale Jones

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama’s preparations for Ohio State in the film room will be a little different than they usually are for opponents, especially before a big game like this.

Where Nick Saban is especially meticulous, not letting any detail about the opposition slip through the cracks, he’ll have a difficult time doing so when scouting the Buckeyes offense and preparing the perfect defensive plan.

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones made his first start of his career in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin, leading a 59-0 rout of the Badgers. Jones looked poised and confident, completing 12 of 17 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Jones replaced the injured JT Barrett, Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy candidate before he was hurt at Michigan. Barrett was only playing because Braxton Miller, the two-time reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, sustained an injury in practice on the eve of the season.

So Jones is essentially the Buckeyes’ third string quarterback, thrust into a starting role in the College Football Playoff.

But because of Ohio State’s bad luck under center this year, Alabama has very limited film on the guy it will face in the Sugar Bowl semifinal.

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Jones had appeared in seven games this year before taking the reins against Wisconsin, largely in backup duty. He threw two passes in three games in 2013.

So drawing up a scouting report on the redshirt sophomore will be a tricky task for Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

“We did see him play in almost a game and a half,” Saban said on Tuesday night. “And he pretty much did a lot of things that the other guy did. But the one thing that he did really well was pass the ball. Made some really really good throws in the Wisconsin game, big plays down the field. Which the other guy [Barrett] did too.

"So we have a tremendous amount of respect for what this guy [Jones] can do, and we feel like, philosophically, they’re going to run that offense. It’s just what part of it they might feature a little different, that’s the part we’re not sure about.”

Saban should be pretty familiar with Urban Meyer’s offense at this point in both of their careers.

They met in a pair of highly publicized SEC Championship Games in 2008 and 2009 when Meyer was at Florida that they split. Saban got the better of Meyer one more time in 2010, Meyer’s last year at Florida and a year without Tim Tebow.

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His offense at Ohio State has largely been the same type of concepts.

It’s a more traditional “spread”-type offense, with a lot of quarterback runs and three- and four-wide receiver sets. Miller had a lot of success running the system and then Barrett when he got hurt. Jones thrived in the offense in his one game against Wisconsin.

So Alabama isn’t expecting a much different look in terms of philosophy.

“Most of their quarterbacks are kind of similar,” Alabama safety Landon Collins said. “They run the same scheme on offense. We’re just going to have to watch film on what they do. Because they’re not going to change the whole offense just for one player, and at such late a time. So I guess we’ll just do that.”

It would be naive, though, to expect the exact same look from Ohio State that it has shown all season before Barrett’s injury.

Jones made a couple of plays with his feet, but at 6’5”, 250 pounds, he isn’t quite the nimble quarterback that Barrett or Miller is.

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He did, though, show off his arm strength and passing ability that Saban mentioned. Particularly, on 39-, 44- and 42-yard touchdown passes against Wisconsin, Jones displayed the combination of touch, arm strength and accuracy that is critical in an effective quarterback.

And he showed the challenge that Alabama will have in preparing for a relative unknown.

“I think that the style of the quarterback is the same as the other guy [Barrett],” Saban said. “Like, the guy that played all season [Barrett] is a lot like Braxton Miller, so there wasn’t a lot of difference. I think this guy [Jones] is very very capable, very good passer, big, strong, athletic guy that can really do all the things that the other guy [Barrett] can do in terms of quarterback runs. Just a little different style. That’s all.”

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.