Chick-Fil-a Peach Bowl: Preview, Predictions for Alabama vs. Washington
This is the final year for the Georgia Dome, as the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium rises across from it as the future home of Atlanta’s biggest football game and other events. But the Dome will go out on a high note, with the College Football Playoff national semifinal in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl as one of its biggest highlights. The game is set for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff on New Year's Eve, with ESPN televising. Per OddsShark.com, Alabama is an early 13.5-point favorite.
It’s only fitting that No. 1 Alabama, which has made the Dome a second home in recent years under Nick Saban, will highlight the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against No. 4 Washington. The Crimson Tide are the defending national champions and have been the nation’s best team all season while reloading with a young, talented roster.
In Chris Petersen’s third season as head coach, the Huskies have made the leap into the nation’s realm of elite programs. After 14 victories combined in Petersen’s first two seasons, Washington is 12-1 after winning the Pac-12 title with an offense, led by quarterback Jake Browning and tailback Myles Gaskin, that averages 44.5 points per game, No. 3 nationally, and a stingy defense allowing 17.2 points per game, No. 9 nationally.
The Crimson Tide will be Washington’s biggest test by far. Are the Huskies ready to handle the challenge and pull an upset in Atlanta? Read on and find out.
Tale of the Tape
1 of 7Alabama has an efficient offense, scoring 41 points per game. But Washington counters with a very stingy defense allowing just 17 points per game, No. 9 nationally.
A huge key for Alabama's offense? The red zone. The Crimson Tide has been highly effective inside the 20, scoring points on 89 percent of its visits.
Washington scores 44 points per game, No. 3 nationally. But the Huskies will have their biggest challenge against Alabama, which leads the nation in scoring defense at 12 points per game.
And the Huskies are even better in the red zone, scoring on 54 of 57 visits, or 95 percent of the time.
Keys to Victory for Alabama
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Let Jalen Hurts make plays
Alabama was the wire-to-wire No. 1 team this season, and it has done so in spite of starting a true freshman quarterback in Jalen Hurts. When the Crimson Tide has been at its best, Hurts has been at his best. Take the 51-3 rout of Mississippi State that saw him throw for 347 yards with four touchdowns and an interception and 100 yards rushing and a touchdown.
However, he has also had seven games with less than 200 yards passing and two games with multiple interceptions (Auburn and Texas A&M). If Hurts gets loose against Washington’s defense, Alabama’s hopes of winning will rise exponentially.
Stop Jake Browning
Even after losing coordinator Kirby Smart to become Georgia’s head coach, Alabama’s defense has been its usual excellent self this season. The Crimson Tide secondary has 14 interceptions, averaging just over one per game. But Washington quarterback Jake Browning is one of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks with 42 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Alabama’s secondary is loaded with the likes of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey, among others. If they make Browning’s life difficult, it’ll be a long day for the Huskies in the Georgia Dome.
Keys to Victory for Washington
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Balanced offense
While the spotlight shone brightly on sophomore quarterback Jake Browning, one huge key to Washington’s success was its offensive balance. The Huskies are No. 31 nationally in passing yards and No. 37 in rushing yards, with Browning and sophomore tailback Myles Gaskin moving the ball equally well.
To succeed against Alabama’s multifaceted defense, the Huskies will have to keep the Tide guessing. That means not relying too heavily on either the run game or the passing game but being successful with both.
Contain Jalen Hurts
Alabama’s offense has thrived despite having a true freshman quarterback in Jalen Hurts, a very different player from predecessors Blake Sims and Jacob Coker. Hurts can make plays in a multitude of ways with his arm and legs, but he is a true freshman and still prone to make mistakes.
The College Football Playoff will be his biggest stage after a season against Southeastern Conference defenses, and Washington has an opportunistic defense. If the Huskies can rattle Hurts early on, it will be vitally important to their hopes of pulling a big upset.
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Players to Watch for Alabama
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QB Jalen Hurts
After two seasons of one-and-done senior starters with Blake Sims and Jacob Coker, Alabama turned in a different direction at quarterback this year, and it has been very successful. True freshman Jalen Hurts emerged from a crowded competition to become the Crimson Tide’s starter and ran with the job.
He has shown poise and confidence as a young player, leading Lane Kiffin’s uptempo offense and making plays with his legs and arms. Hurts has thrown for 2,592 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions and rushed for 841 yards and 12 scores as the Tide’s No. 2 rusher. He has been an excellent leader for Alabama’s offense, although he’ll face one of his biggest tests in Washington’s quick, athletic defense.
WR ArDarius Stewart
Hurts needs a deep threat to stretch opposing defenses, and this season, that has been junior receiver ArDarius Stewart. Despite missing two games with a knee injury and another following a violation of team rules, Stewart has been the Crimson Tide’s top receiver.
He has 52 catches for 852 yards and eight scores. At 6’1”, 204 pounds, Stewart has big-play ability and has flashed it several times this season, including in an eight-catch, 156-yard, three-touchdown effort against Mississippi State. Washington has an excellent secondary, but they’ll have their hands full with Stewart and Calvin Ridley.
DE Jonathan Allen
Last winter, Jonathan Allen passed on a likely early-round NFL draft selection to return to Alabama and improve his draft stock while chasing another national title. Smart move. The senior defensive end has emerged as one of the nation’s best pass rushers and one of its best players overall.
Allen stands 6’3”, 291 pounds and has an excellent blend of power and speed. He has 56 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks this fall. Stopping or slowing him down will be an incredibly difficult task for Washington’s offensive line, without question.
Players to Watch for Washington
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QB Jake Browning
Washington went from good to great this season, and the play of sophomore quarterback Jake Browning is a huge reason why. Following a solid freshman season (2,955 yards, 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions), he has been far better in 2016. He has thrown for 3,280 yards with 42 touchdowns against seven interceptions, including a pair of six-touchdown games against Cal and Oregon.
Washington has yet to face a defense as nasty and aggressive as Alabama’s, and it’ll be crucial for the Husky offensive line to keep Browning on his feet. If that happens, he has a host of weapons, led by speedy receiver John Ross, who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
RB Myles Gaskin
Washington’s offense has excellent run-pass balance, averaging 267.2 passing yards and 210 rushing yards per game. Sophomore tailback Myles Gaskin has put together another great season, rushing for 1,339 yards and 10 touchdowns thus far after rushing for 1,302 yards and 14 scores as a freshman.
He has six 100-yard rushing games, including a 159-yard effort in Washington’s blowout of Colorado. At 5’10”, 195 pounds, Gaskin has an intriguing blend of power and speed. The Huskies will need him to control the clock and keep Alabama’s offense off the field as much as possible.
S Budda Baker
Washington has a nasty, swarming defense, and one of its biggest keys is a talented, athletic secondary. The best piece of that secondary? Junior safety Budda Baker. Baker is Washington’s No. 2 tackler with 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions.
At 5’10”, 192 pounds, Baker is a hard hitter but also very athletic and capable of making big plays. He’ll be a key weapon against Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, and the Tide will have to account for him on the field at all times.
What They're Saying
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“I know they have a very good team. We’ve seen them a few times in the Southern Cal game and a little in the (Pac-12) championship game against Colorado. They have some outstanding skill players, a very good quarterback, a very good running back, an outstanding offensive line. It looks like they play tremendous defense. I don’t think anyone you can play at this point of the season in the playoffs wouldn’t be an outstanding football team.” – Alabama coach Nick Saban to ESPN on Washington.
“I’m proud of the maturity our players showed. Now the next step is what we create as a legacy for this team in terms of the playoffs, and Washington is going to be a big challenge for us.” – Saban on the road ahead.
“They’ve done everything right for a long period of time and it’s nice when fruits of your labor come to fruition. Sometimes it doesn’t work out but it’s nice when it all happens and lines up.” – Washington coach Chris Petersen to ESPN on his team making the College Football Playoff.
“You know what they’ve done. It’s not just one year, it’s their body of work, it’s a special team, a special program, it’ll be a tremendous challenge. It’ll be the biggest challenge we’ve faced as coaches and players.” - Petersen on Alabama.
Prediction
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Under Nick Saban, Alabama has established itself as the nation’s best program. The Crimson Tide have won four national titles in nine seasons and is on pace for its fifth in a decade. Following last season’s national championship, the Tide has stayed No. 1 from the first preseason poll on, with no team threatening to push it off its perch, even while playing with a true freshman quarterback in Jalen Hurts.
With a nasty, playmaking defense and a fast-paced offense, Alabama is a difficult matchup for any team, especially the Huskies. The teams have one common foe: Alabama whipped Southern California 52-6 in the opener, while the Trojans handed Washington its only defeat, 26-13 (although it must be noted that the Trojans were a different team after handing the offensive reins to Sam Darnold).
If Hurts plays with poise and Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough find holes against Washington’s defense, the Tide will have enough offense to outscore Jake Browning, who’ll be playing against the best secondary he’ll face all season outside of his own practices.
The Huskies will give Alabama more of a game than Michigan State did last year, but the Tide will roll to another national title game.
Alabama 38, Washington 17.
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