Tide has plenty of respect for Utah

The more Nick Saban looks at Utah, the more concerned he sounds.

Alabama’s head coach said the 12-0 Utes, the only undefeated team in the country, present challenges in all phases of the game. Utah and the Crimson Tide play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Friday at 7 p.m.

“This is an outstanding team that we are playing,” Saban said Sunday as he rattled off Utah’s strengths. “They are a very good defensive team, ranked in the top 15 in the country. They are great in turnover margin, which is always an important factor in winning and losing.

“They are one of the most productive offensive teams that we have played. Their quarterback, Brian Johnson, does a great job of directing their offense, very accurate. They have a good scheme, they are hard to defend and they utilize the personnel they have on offense extremely well.

“They are very athletic on defense. They rush well, they affect the quarterback, create a lot of things on loose play downs. It will be a challenging game for us and we understand that. I think we will focus on what we can control, which is to play our best football.”

Saban has made sure his players are also impressed. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was promoted from defensive coordinator four years ago when Urban Meyer left for Florida. Saban downplayed the similarities between the spread offense schemes. What Alabama players have noticed is that “zero” in the loss column.

“For them to not have lost a game says more about them as a team than anything,” quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “To go out there week in, week out and they played some good teams, I’m sure they’re going to come out here and try to prove what they’ve got against a big Alabama team. They’re going to be ready to play and if we’re not ready, then we’ll get embarrassed.”

“All I know is they’re undefeated and we have to let them know what it feels like to have a loss,” defensive end Bobby Greenwood said. “I think we’ve got a big chip on our shoulder going into this game. I think that’s going to play to our advantage.”

“You go 12-0, I definitely think you have a good football team and you’re doing the right things,” safety Rashad Johnson said. “Coach has put it in our mind that we’re going to play our game and not focus on the other team. We’re going to go in just like we did every game this year and try to dominate our opponent. We’re not going to worry about who the opponent is, just do what we do and try to play a physical game.“

Quarterback Brian Johnson is directs Utah’s spread, which is more pass-oriented than Florida’s attack.

“Florida obviously has a unique player at quarterback that is a good passer but he is also more like a fullback playing quarterback when he is running the ball,” Saban said of the Gators’ Tim Tebow. “I think that in Utah’s case, their quarterback is a really good passer and he is a passer first. … They have a lot more controlled passes in their offense which lets them get the ball out of his hands quickly and efficiently.”

Defensively, Alabama’s mammoth offensive line matches up against one of the smallest, quickest defenses it has faced all year.

“They’re real shifty on their D-line,” running back Glen Coffee said. “We haven’t seen a lot of film, but I know that they’re a great defense. They’ll play hard. Their linebackers like to shoot gaps. They like to disrupt the plays, the running plays.”
Utah’s Whittingham said his defense must attack Alabama’s offensive front.

“It’s not secret we are going to have to put eight or nine guys in the box to stop their run game or at least slow it down,” Whittingham said Sunday.

“They’re not too big, but they’re really, really quick,” Alabama center Antoine Caldwell said. “To me, sometimes those are the tougher guys to go against and try to block, guys that are kind of shifty and can be as explosive as they are. They play really well together and they do a good job, especially on the defensive front. The guys that they’ve got, they play well together.”

An efficient spread offense. A fast defense ranked 15th in the country. And a unanimous All-American punter/kicker in Louie Sakoda.

“This is a lot better team than everybody thinks,” Saban said before the Tide broke for Christmas. “This is as good a team as we’ve played all year long, in terms of what they do. And I can promise you that. So if you think any different, you’re thinking wrong.”

NOTES:
Seeing the Saints:

Alabama practiced late Sunday, but not before enjoying an NFL game. The Tide saw part of the Saints-Panthers game before its own workout.

“There are quite a few players on our team that have never seen a professional football game before, so I thought this would be a great opportunity for them,” Saban said.

Tide players will have the option of going to an NBA Hornets game later in the week.

“The Sugar Bowl has several events planned for them in the evenings. I think the events will all be positive experiences,” Saban said. “We just want our players to be responsible in how they act, and support each other on and off the field.”

Utah ties:

Kyle Whittingham talked about his ties to New Orleans that date back to his childhood.

His father, Fred Whittingham, was an original Saint in the late 1960s. Kyle Whittingham was around 9 or 10 at the time.
“I was in awe. I was in the locker room with all the greats, Doug Atkins, Jimmy Taylor, Billy Kilmer,” Utah’s head coach said.
Fred Whittingham got into coaching after his playing career ended. He coached his son, who played linebacker at BYU. The father was defensive coordinator when Kyle was hired as Utah’s defensive line coach. Fred eventually left for the Raiders, but returned to the staff when Kyle was named defensive coordinator.

So he has played, worked for and employed his father.

“It was invaluable to my development as a coach,” Whittingham said. “Really everything I do, particularly schematically, is patterned off of things I learned from him and the way he coached, his style of coaching, the way he handled his players.”