GAME PREVIEW: Vandy-Bama should be low scoring – for one team {by JessN}

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GAME PREVIEW:
Vandy-Bama should be low scoring – for one team
September 6, 2006
by Jess Nicholas

Take just the first half of Alabama's week one victory over Hawaii, and you wouldn't think the discussion would be about a defensive battle against Vanderbilt in week two.

But for whatever reason – halftime adjustments, injuries in Alabama's running back corps, you name it – Alabama put up only 3 points in the second half against Hawaii, and now the talk this week is centering on which defense is going to bend first.

The answer to that question is probably Vanderbilt's, because for whatever Alabama's second-half struggles might have been, Alabama still managed to rack up 378 yards of total offense, control the ball and the clock for much of the game against Hawaii and if it were not for a pair of would-be touchdown passes that missed by inches, Alabama would have been in at least the 30-point range and most of this talk would be moot.

Vanderbilt is still trying to find an offense in its most basic form, and more specifically, competent performances from someone under center. Alabama has a few issues of its own, but nothing as dire as Vandy. And in a comparison of defenses, Alabama has more depth and athleticism.


OFFENSE

Both teams play out of a pro set, but the playcalling is much different. Vanderbilt's quarterback, Chris Nickson, has running back skills and Vandy will roll him out of the pocket more often than leaving him in it. Also, Nickson hasn't yet learned to read defenses at this level, so Vanderbilt's passing progressions are likely to be simpler. Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, the rushing game stalled against Michigan and if Nickson is to be allowed to gently grow accustomed to life in the SEC, the Commodores will have to do better. Alabama's offense didn't click on the ground against Hawaii but looked good through the air, despite a couple of drops by the wide receivers and some underthrown passes from quarterback John Parker Wilson. Look for Alabama to mix things up almost equally for the Vanderbilt defense, which did a good job overall against Michigan.

QUARTERBACKS
Alabama's John Parker Wilson showed decent touch and a good arm in the opener, but his timing was off on a few deep passes. It's to be expected with a first-time starter and things should get better quickly. The brightest facet of Wilson's game was the way he moved through his progression and made line calls. His poise in the pocket was outstanding for a youngster. Wilson's 253 yards against Hawaii put his debut among the best in Crimson Tide history. Expect more rollouts this week and more pass work around the line of scrimmage to the backs and tight ends. Vanderbilt counters with Chris Nickson, who is a runner first and a passer second.

Alabama recruited Nickson briefly out of high school, but it was primarily for his potential as a wide receiver. Nickson ran the ball 16 times against Michigan and although he gained 64 yards, 40 yards lost to sacks put his net total at 22. He'll run the ball a similar amount of time against Alabama and will – not might, but will – break a couple for long gainers at least. Passing, though, still has a way to go; Nickson was 11 for 25 for 99 yards. Depth favors the Commodores, with Richard Kovalcheck and Mackenzi Adams available versus Marc Guillon and Jimmy Barnes for Alabama, but it probably won't get that far in this game barring injury. Nickson is an impressive athlete, but Wilson is the far better quarterback. Advantage: Alabama

RUNNING BACKS
Alabama's Kenneth Darby had a poor debut and may have gotten hurt in the process, dinging his hip. Top backup Jimmy Johns had more yards (58 versus 25 for Darby) but was also shaken up late in the game. Johns figures to be full-speed this week; Darby might not be. If one or both is limited, look for Roy Upchurch and signee Terry Grant to get a look. Both have better speed than the players in front of them, but are untested. Alabama's best work against Hawaii came actually from fullbacks Le'Ron McClain and Tim Castille, who both had solid outings.

Vanderbilt had a very poor start for its running backs; Cassen Jackson-Garrison picked up 2 yards on 8 carries while trying to come back quickly from an appendectomy, while Jeff Jennings didn't play as he continues to rehab a knee. Signee Jared Hawkins carried twice for 18 yards and Alabama will see more of him this week. Fullback Steven Bright is good in his role as a blocker and receiver out of the backfield, with 2 catches for 16 yards, but he's not in McClain's league or Castille's. Advantage: Alabama

WIDE RECEIVERS
With D.J. Hall out either due to suspension, injury or both, Alabama found itself in a box against Hawaii. Only Keith Brown had an outstanding night, but it was so far over the top that it didn't much matter who else Alabama ran out there. Brown has had two standout games in a row now with Hall missing, dating back to the Cotton Bowl, and it's good that he knows when to step things up a notch. The question going forward is his consistency.

Matt Caddell caught 3 passes for 24 yards but had two big drops and didn't look comfortable. Will Oakley finally debuted after two injury-filled years and had two catches in key situations. Nikita Stover, Earl Alexander and Darwin Salaam were all no-shows, but Mike McCoy did make a brief debut.

Alabama will need contributions from McCoy and at least one other in the future. Tight ends Travis McCall and Nick Walker both had great games and if Alabama is going to continue to use the tight ends the way they were used against Hawaii, the passing game will be tough to defend. Vanderbilt counters with Earl Bennett, who caught 6 short passes for 58 yards but threw a 30-yard touchdown pass on a trick play. Marlon White had a nice game opposite Bennett, while Sean Walker and George Smith will provide depth against the Tide.

Tight ends Brad Allen and Jake Bradford are still unknowns. Both teams will use fullbacks as receivers often. Bennett is probably the best player on either team but Alabama's Brown is closing the gap fast. While Vandy gets the edge in receiver depth, Alabama is clearly better at tight end. This one is just about a tie, but assuming Alabama gets D.J. Hall back this week, the Tide gets the slim edge. Advantage: Alabama

OFFENSIVE LINE
Vanderbilt's Brian Stamper, the starting right tackle, is a solid offensive lineman and the best the Commodores have. The rest of the line is more than just a little suspect, given the 171-yard performance by the offense against Michigan. Left tackle Chris Williams has some talent but is vulnerable. Guards Josh Eames and Merritt Kirchoffer need to get going in a big way, while center Hamilton Holliday must also do a better job.

Unfortunately for Alabama, its group didn't have a spectacular debut, either. Left tackle Andre Smith and center Antoine Caldwell were the exceptions, as Smith could be seen often finishing his blocks downfield of the line of scrimmage and doing a good job in pass protection. Caldwell was the SEC lineman of the week. The rest of the group had their moments, but need more consistency. Justin Britt showed lots of promise and just needs to get comfortable at the position. The right side of the line, though, wasn't so good.

Guard B.J. Stabler struggled for most of the game, and Kyle Tatum didn't make the most of his time at right tackle. Chris Capps, who started the game there, looked much improved from 2005 but still needs to take another step.

Depth is in Alabama's corner; Alabama used nine players and two more could see action against Vanderbilt. Both teams have clear strong and weak points, but Alabama has more talent overall. Advantage: Alabama

DEFENSE

Vanderbilt's 4-3 scheme was designed to get more pressure on the quarterback and take the pressure off the coaching staff to find the true stud defensive tackles needed to run that scheme in the SEC. Unfortunately, the Commodores didn't get what they were looking for against Michigan, as the run defense was spotty and the Commodores managed only one sack. Alabama normally bases out of a 4-3 as well, but ran virtually none of it against Hawaii, choosing to stay in its 3-3-5 and 3-2-6 packages for most of the game.

Alabama's pass defense numbers were terrible, but Hawaii ran the ball a total of 15 times (including sacks), which means more evidence is needed before it can be said there's a problem. Look for Alabama to be more traditional against Vanderbilt, but also expect Alabama to shy away from blitzing Nickson and spooking him from the pocket, and instead invite him to make mistakes throwing downfield.


DEFENSIVE LINE
Chris Booker and Theo Horrocks are solid linemen by any definition, and great by Vanderbilt standards. Booker, in particular, opened with 7 tackles against Michigan and will likely be a factor in this game as well. The problem for both is that they don't have a lot of help. Ray Brown and Curtis Gatewood performed fairly well in the first week, especially Gatewood, but depth concerns are toublesome. Greg Billinger and Gabe Hall are the backups up the middle, with Steven Stone and Broderick Stewart coming from the outside. Of those, Hall is the one to watch the most; Stewart and Billinger are both freshmen, with Billinger an undersized true freshman trying to contribute early in his career.

Alabama counters with Jeremy Clark, Dominic Lee and J.P. Adams in the middle, with five defensive ends all capable of making a difference. Wallace Gilberry had a strong debut, while Keith Saunders and Bobby Greenwood made a nice pairing at the other end position. Chris Harris offers veteran depth, but the story of the Hawaii game, outside of Gilberry, was converted wide receiver Ezekial Knight, who had an impressive debut as a rush end. Brandon Deaderick will give a depth assist inside, and expect to see Lorenzo Washington this week as well.

Linebacker Zach Schreiber often moved down to a rush end position at Hawaii and may do the same this week. Vanderbilt is better than usual, but Alabama's unit is one of the tops in the conference. Advantage: Alabama

LINEBACKERS
All eyes were on the Alabama linebackers in their debut Saturday, and the results were mixed. Juwan Simpson got what many considered to be an unlikely start at weakside linebacker given his offseason off-field troubles, but he played and collected 9 tackles. The other two starters, outside backer Terrence Jones and middle linebacker Matt Collins, didn't fare so well. Jones often got lost in coverage – a concern in the preseason – and Collins predictably didn't handle coverage assignments, either. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, freshmen Zach Schreiber and Prince Hall were getting most of the reps at those two positions.

This week will be key for both incumbents. Demarcus Waldrop offers depth behind Simpson, while Marcel Stamps got his first taste of defensive action in a key situation and showed good speed and pursuit. Vanderbilt's Jonathan Goff collected 14 tackles and blocked a kick in his opening week, making him the early favorite to be the next Vandy linebacker with an NFL future. Kevin Joyce and Marcus Buggs proved to be solid at outside linebacker, but they lack Goff's superstar punch. Depth is a little shaky, with Funtaine Hunter and Brandon Bryant coming from outside and Patrick Benoist and Chris Johnson in the middle.

Depth is clearly on Alabama's side, but Goff and Joyce give Vandy a pair of productive veterans, and they figure to make fewer mental mistakes than Alabama's still-developing group. Advantage: Vanderbilt

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Developing three new starters is a tough assignment, especially against a passing offense like Hawaii's, but Alabama made it work – to a point. At cornerback, Ramzee Robinson was his usual solid self, but the rest of the group spent a good amount of time trying to figure out what was going on. New strong safety Marcus Carter had a solid first half, got nicked up and was transparent in the second half. Free safety Jeffrey Dukes, who the coaches are leaning on heavily to step up, had 7 tackles in the opener but wasn't really a key factor. The off corner position was a mixed bag all around.

Simeon Castille got burned several times early and was eventually switched inside to cover a slot receiver, with Eric Gray coming off the bench to play the boundary. Gray missed a tackle on a shovel pass that went for a score, but otherwise outplayed Castille. The best performances, other than Robinson, probably came from the reserves. Safety Rashad Johnson started the game in the 3-3-5 alignment and was active, although still getting his feet wet. Cornerback Lionel Mitchell intercepted the pass that clinched the game and was solid on his other plays as well. Signee Marquis Johnson played sparingly but didn't make any grievous errors.

Vanderbilt counters with a young group led by safety Reshard Langford. Ryan Hamilton and Ben Coger will split the other safety position, with several corners still vying for the starting jobs. Sean Dixon, Jared Fagan, Josh Allen and Joel Caldwell are all expected to play, along with Darlron Spead. It's tough to tell at this point how much of Alabama's struggles were related to youth, and how much were attributable to Hawaii being the opponent.

Whatever the case, both teams have a go-to guy and a host of questions. In a battle of go-to guys, Alabama's Robinson beats out Vandy's Langford. Advantage: Alabama

SPECIAL TEAMS
Jamie Christensen missed the Hawaii game and will likely miss this one as well, but Alabama didn't miss a beat. Leigh Tiffin had a strong debut as the field goal and extra point kicker, while Andrew Friedman proved to be a capable kickoff man. Punter P.J. Fitzgerald had a strong debut kick, but saw his average tank after that due to a mediocre second kick and then a designed pooch punt inside Hawaii territory. The return game looked promising, with Javier Arenas having four solid kickoff returns. There were no punt returns, but Simeon Castille nearly fumbled a fair catch and was replaced by Arenas.

Punt coverage was good, but kick coverage bordered on the disastrous, as Alabama's gunners couldn't seem to stay in their lanes. For Vanderbilt, Bryant Hahnfeldt made his only kick attempt, a PAT, and linebacker Jonathan Goff blocked a kick. Punter Brett Upson had a tough debut, averaging only 36.3 yards per kick, but had two downed inside the 20. Alex Washington was solid on kick returns, while Michigan effectively took Bennett out of the punt return game, giving him only one opportunity. In short, it's too early in the season to tell for either team. Alabama gets the edge based on its superior athleticism. Advantage: Alabama


OVERALL
Alabama leads in seven categories, Vanderbilt in one; however, wide receiver, defensive back and special teams could go either way. The issue, as it usually is, is that Alabama is far better than Vanderbilt in the categories in which the Tide leads, while Vanderbilt struggles to get an advantage in any of its categories of strength.

The immediate question is whether Vanderbilt is a better team than Hawaii. The short answer is no. Vanderbilt may actually have better defensive depth and comparable athletes, but Hawaii brought in a top-notch quarterback and a proven offensive system. Vandy is clearly struggling on that side of the ball.

Alabama's first week showed many opportunities for improvement. The one most Tide fans want to see improvement in is the running game, but the real X-and-O freakniks will be watching the Tide secondary and linebacker corps, hoping for vast improvement over the first game.

Offensively, Alabama needs to run the football better, show some toughness on the right side of the offensive line and develop some depth in the wide receiver corps. The game will likely hinge on Alabama's ability to move the football well enough to the point that if the Tide doesn't score, it leaves the punting unit able to pin Vandy deep in its own territory. Even the most optimistic Vanderbilt fans right now don't see much hope if the Commodore offense has to win the game. Unless Alabama gets bogged down inside its own territory and can't get out, the Tide should cruise in this one.

Alabama 34
Vanderbilt 10