Alabama vs. Penn State: 3 Things Nittany Lions Must Do To Beat Alabama

Alabama is unquestionably one of the best teams in the country this year, sitting at third in the AP Poll and second in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Why is Alabama ranked so high? It has to do with that certain little it factor that coaches love to cite as the thing that wins championships: Defense.

If we look back at 2010, we will see an Alabama team that is so downright dominant in every facet of the defensive game* that it is ranked in the Top 10 in every relevant statistical category. Consider these national rankings:

- Rush Defense: 10th, 110 YPG

- Pass Efficiency Defense: Sixth, 103.54 Opp. P.E. rating

- Total Defense: Fifth, 256 YPG

- Scoring Defense: Third, 13.5 PPG

- S&P+ Defense: Seventh

Pretty impressive, huh? Alright, I can hear your reaction, "That is all well and good, but what does it mean for this year, Zach?" Well, let me throw one more number at you: nine.

That is the number of starters that Alabama returns—on defense. Even more impressive is the fact that last year Alabama did this while breaking in nine new starters.

So, what does Penn State, a team without a definitive starting quarterback and a year removed from a 7-6 season, have going for it? Let's look at three things that could keep this game close late in the game—when anything is possible.

No. 1: Contain the Alabama Rushing Attack

Also known as, "How the hell do you stop Trent Richardson?" No, seriously. If you know, you should call Tom Bradley. I'm looking in your direction, Kent State.

Last week, Richardson was held to just 37 yards (he still got three touchdowns, but whatever—it was Kent State). Last year, Richardson split time with former Heisman winner Mark Ingram, which didn't allow him to take over many games. Richardson finished the season with just two 100-plus yard games and a total of 700 yards—50 yards less than his 2009 totals. However, Richardson has a career yards-per-carry average of 5.6.

Alabama, a week removed from a warm-up against Kent State, should look to call Richardson's number more frequently against the Nittany Lions. Penn State is healthy along the front line and has the personnel in place to play stout rush defense. If Alabama can control the trenches, it will be a long afternoon for Penn State. 

No. 2: Win the Quarterback Battle

We all know about Penn State's struggles at quarterback. Neither Rob Bolden nor Matt McGloin did much to impress in the first game.

Thankfully for the Nittany Lions, the same can be said of Alabama's quarterback duo. Both A.J. McCarron and Phil Sims threw two interceptions a piece last Saturday against Kent State. McCarron had the slightly better outing, throwing for 226 yards on 14-of-23 passing for one touchdown, but both quarterbacks will get snaps on Saturday.

If the Penn State duo can keep the turnovers down and the defense can force the McCarron/Sims pairing into another three-plus turnover game, the Nittany Lions will have a much easier time keeping the game close. 

No. 3: Win the Battle of Field Position

Alright, so the fact of the matter is that Alabama's defense is just too good to score three or more touchdowns against if the offense has to do it on drives of over 70 yards.

If Penn State wants any chance of putting offensive points on the board, it is going to have to come from big plays in the return game. They will also need to effectively pin the Tide deep on both punts and kickoffs. If the Nittany Lions allow a team that is as outstanding defensively as Alabama to win the field position battle, they might never cross the 50-yard line.

Blocked punts/field goals, return touchdowns and muffed punts are all nice, but ultimately they are fluky occurrences that are almost impossible to plan for or execute. Finding a way to return kicks to the 35-yard line instead of the 20-yard line is more manageable and will add up if done consistently over the course of the game.

If Penn State can consistently set itself up for 60-yard drives, while pinning Alabama to 80-yard drives, the Nittany Lions will have a much better chance of keeping the score close.

In the end, this will be a very difficult game for Penn State to win. The Nittany Lions will have to play an A+ game and hope that the Tide only put together a solid B. You don't beat Alabama when everything is clicking. You only beat Alabama when it beats itself with mistakes. That's life, folks.

However, Beaver Stadium is as intimidating a place to play as there is in college football, Penn State's coaching staff is as consistently good as any in the country and Alabama has a few questions on offense that have yet to be answered.

"So, you're telling me there's a chance?"

Yeah, Penn State, there's a chance.   

* Strangely, Alabama was mediocre in both sacks and TFL's in 2010, coming in 54th and 64th, respectively. You wouldn't know this from watching the bowl game against MSU, when the Tide beat Kirk Cousins like a red-headed stepchild. Want to guess what area Alabama committed itself to improving over the offseason? I'm glad I'm not a Penn State quarterback!)