Boise State-TCU Could Show Utah What to Expect from Alabama

In my mind, many things about last night's Boise State-TCU game could mirror the upcoming game of Alabama vs. Utah.  It is a good team vs. an undefeated team.  It is a team known more for offense vs. a team with a great defense.

Last night Boise State jumped on TCU early, and with a 13-0 lead, it appeared that the game could possibly get ugly in a hurry.  But good teams with good defenses don't get rattled.  Over the long haul of the game, the defense usually starts wearing out the good offense, and a team without a good defense starts getting worn out and down.

That is exactly what happened last night.  TCU and Boise State each threw for about the same number of yards in the game.  However, TCU made a couple of mistakes that gave Boise great field possession and easy scores with miscues in the passing game.

The difference in the game was that TCU could run both the clock and the ball almost at will in the second half.  The difference in rushing yards was the difference in the game: 275 for TCU and 28 for Boise State.

Utah has a good offense.  I predict they can and will score against Alabama, but they have a poor defense, and Alabama, like TCU last night, can and will run the ball and the clock on Utah.  They may not start out pretty, but Alabama will wear them down and own them late when it counts.

Last night the score was close, but it was clear by the midway point of the third quarter what the outcome would be.  Boise State was lucky to keep the score so close.  Only TCU miscues kept it as close as it was. 

It was clear that TCU could simply jam in down the middle of defense and keep getting first downs without major problems.  The few passing plays they did just kept the Broncos off balance.

When all TCU had to do to win was keep the ball and pick up first downs and kill the clock, they not only could do it, but did.

That is how I see it playing out with Alabama and Utah.  You can't score if you don't have the ball, and Alabama will keep it for much of the game on long scoring drives designed to do three things: Keep the ball away from the Utah offense, score, and wear out their bodies and morale by simply pushing them down the field.

Utah can run against Alabama no better than Boise State could against TCU.  In many ways, last night's game could be a mirror to many things to happen in New Orleans.  But I don't think the game will be quite as close.