Nick Saban shares strong feelings for Texas offensive, defensive front, raves over secondary
No. 11 Texas at No. 3 Alabama is the game to watch during Week 2’s college football slate.
With Saturday swiftly approaching, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban revealed how much he respects the offensive and defensive lineups his former assistant Steve Sarkisian has put together on the Forty Acres, beginning with the offensive line.
“They’ve got a really, really good scheme in terms of the way they try to run the ball. They try to formation you, the motions that they use, the formations that they use. And their offensive line does a good job of getting a hat on a hat,” Saban said on Wednesday. “They’re big. They can play physical. They’re athletic. They’re pretty good pass blockers.
“So they’re just a good all-around group, and they have plenty of experience. I think this is one of the best, better offensive teams personnel-wise and scheme-wise and the way they’re coached to play and execute of anyone that we’ll see this year.”
In terms of defense, he described Texas’ defensive front as strong, powerful and athletic pass rushers that are hard to block and don’t give up a lot of movement on the inside. In that sense, Saban expects the Longhorns’ prowess to cause some trouble for Alabama for their own rushing attack.
The energy and athleticism of players like T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy are leading that effort, and Saban has taken notice of not only the defensive line — but the secondary, such as freshman Malik Muhammad and Derek Williams, among others, has caught his eye as well.
“They’ve got experience. These guys, fast reactors. They play man-to-man, they can cover you. They tackle well. They can play the ball,” Saban said. “They’re good man-to-man players, so those three factors in the secondary are always thing you look for to really have a successful unit and it’s gonna be a challenge for us to be able to beat man-to-man and to be able to take advantage of things in the passing game.
“I mean, the challenge is, you’ve gotta protect, you’ve gotta be able to get open and you’ve gotta be able to throw the ball accurately when it all happens. So, that’s what we’re focused on trying to get our guys to do.”
The Longhorns and Crimson Tide headline Week 2 with a primetime slot at 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN. Alabama is a seven-point betting favorite at home, according to Vegas Insider.