College Football: The Ultimate Alabama Tide-Penn State Nittany Lions Breakdown
For the first time in 20 years, Alabama and Penn State will renew their storied rivalry at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The lifetime of most of the players has come since then, but not much has changed for Penn State: Joe Paterno still stalks the sideline, and Penn State still wins by playing tough and not making mistakes.
One key to a Penn State victory will be the effectiveness of Penn State freshman quarterback Robert Bolden and his two large receivers Brett Brackett and Derek Moye.
In the warm-up game this past Saturday, Bolden mostly played pitch and catch with his two favorite targets, the 6' 6", 246-lb Brackett and the 6' 5" Moye. Both receivers are seniors with playing experience.
Mark Barron Leads the Tide Secondary
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Alabama counters the Penn State passing attack with a young secondary led by safety Mark Barron.
Though Alabama's defensive backs have practiced against Julio Jones for years, they have not seen a starting pair as tall as Brackett and Moye.
Penn State will likely steer clear of Dre Kirkpatrick, who at 6'3" is one of the tallest corners you're going to see. More likely they will go after newcomer Dequan Menzie, who is 5' 11", or new safety Robert Lester, who had an up-and-down game this past week.
Tackling will be key. With big receivers, the key is just getting the ball in their hands and letting them hammer out the yards after the catch. Alabama's new starters didn't always do a great job of that against San Jose State.
Penn State Needs a Big Game from Evan Royster
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Royster is one of the best running backs in Penn State history. A two-time thousand-yard rusher, he has a chance to break the Penn State career mark this year.
His 40-yard effort against Youngstown State didn't inspire confidence, but only running 11 times, Paterno may have been passing the ball more to give his true freshman quarterback as many reps as possible. Look for Penn State to feed the beast Saturday night.
Penn State's offensive line, however, didn't have an overwhelming physical performance against Youngstown State. They will need to step up the intensity this week to contend with a deep Alabama front seven.
Dont'a Hightower Leads the 'Bama Defense
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Alabama's defense hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher since 2007. They have no plans of yielding that streak to Evan Royster.
Dont'a Hightower leads the Tide defense. He and first-year starters Jerrell Harris and Chris Jordan will primarily man the middle of the field. Hightower will sometimes move to the line of scrimmage as an extra lineman.
Inside tackles Josh Chapman and Kerry Murphy will attempt to clog up the middle. Both have size and quickness.
Alabama is hobbling somewhat with their best defensive end Marcell Dareus suspended for NCAA violations and outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw slowed by an ankle injury.
In their wake, newcomers Undra Billingsley and Damion Square will attempt to hold the fort on the line while a plethora of fast, aggressive linebackers await duty should Upshaw not be able to compete or finish.
Last week freshman Ed Stinson took Upshaw's place, but that doesn't guarantee that will be the case going forward. Nick Saban insists all his defenders can play more than one position.
How the young Alabama players respond to the challenge may be a determining factor of the game. Mistakes could be damning.
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Penn State's Secondary Will Challenge the Tide
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Penn State has an experienced, physical secondary that returns three of four starters and has experienced depth to go with it.
Safeties Nick Sukay and Drew Astorino return along with cornerback D’Anton Lynn to make this secondary one that is unlikely to be out of position. Newcomer Stephon Morris is at the other corner, but Penn State has other players with ability should he get into trouble.
Greg McElroy Leads the Crimson Tide Offense
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Alabama pits strength against strength.
Quarterback Greg McElroy begins his second season as a starter. All he did in his rookie campaign was guide the Tide to an undefeated 14-0 season, lead them to back-to-back victories over the undefeated Florida Gators and Texas Longhorns, and bring home Alabama's 13th national championship.
All while learning on the job.
With McElroy, Alabama returns all three starting wideouts: Julio Jones, Marquis Maze, and Darius Hanks. All three appear to have improved since last season. McElroy looked almost bored against San Jose State in Week 1.
Penn State's Front Seven Will Face a Tough Challenge
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Penn State's young defense played well against Youngstown State, allowing only 75 yards on the ground.
Penn State has been known as Linebacker U in the past, and this group will likely be no different. But they are young, and one of their best talents, Michael Mauti, has been slowed by injury.
Last week's game didn't tell us much about how ready they are as a unit.
Trent Richardson Leads the Tide Rushing Attack
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Though there is an outside chance that Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram could play in this weekend's matchup, chances are that it will be Trent Richardson's game to win or lose.
Richardson has a unique combination of strength and breakaway speed. Last year his vision was clearly behind that of Mark Ingram. Last week, starting in place of Ingram, Richardson showed improved field vision by cutting against the defensive pursuit to beat the safety to the end zone for a spectacular touchdown.
In relief of Richardson will be Eddie Lacy and Demetrius Goode. Both have some ability but little experience. Lacy in particular showed some burst when he hit the second level, but he also fumbled away a scoring opportunity.
Richardson has never had to carry the full load of starting against a quality opponent. Saturday will be his opportunity to show if he is just a good backup or the next great back at Alabama.
Coaching Legend Joe Paterno
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Penn State is led by the ageless one, Joe Paterno. With the "retirement" of Bobby Bowden, Paterno stands alone as the dean of college football coaches and the final representative of a coaching generation that has now gone by.
Make no mistake, Penn State is well coached and remains a national power. His team may be young this year in some areas, but they will be prepared.
The Crimson Tide Is Led by Nick Saban
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Coach Nick Saban is still building a career that at this point appears bound for legendary status as well.
After taking several losing programs and making them winner, he has now won a national title at both LSU and at Alabama.
Nick is a little old school himself but also a little new school. His coaching techniques are currently being copied around the nation, and he is building a network of former employees who are now head coaches.
Both men are at the top of the coaching business, and the chess match they will play out for college football fans will no doubt keep everyone on the edge of their seats Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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