Published September 12, 2012 - 11:00am
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With Tyler Wilson questionable for Alabama this weekend, Nick Saban is preparing his defense for three different quarterbacks.
It has all but been announced that Wilson is not going to play. He hasn’t practiced yet and hasn’t been cleared by medical personnel. A source close to SDS told us that he had bleeding on the bottom of the brain and that Arkansas was waiting until ‘some more test results come back’ to officially rule him out. There’s about a five percent chance he’ll play.
However, since he hasn’t been officially ruled out, Saban is preparing his team for three different quarterbacks: Wilson and backups Brandon Allen and Brandon Mitchell.
“We’re going to practice like he’s playing or not playing, whatever,” senior linebacker Nico Johnson said Monday. “They’ve got good enough backups, so we’re going to prepare the same way we prepare for any other team and keep rolling.”
Saban expressed how good Wilson is and he hopes that he is okay.
“You don’t like to really ever see anybody get injured,” Saban said. “He’s great for our league and he’s great for our fans. He’s certainly a very challenging competitor to have to play against, and we hope he’s OK.”
If Wilson doesn’t play, I would rotate quarterbacks between Brandon Allen and Brandon Mitchell and run the option with Mitchell. Brandon Allen will likely start and lead the passing attack. But if that’s not working, Paul Petrino should make the change to Mitchell and run some option to keep the Tide off balance. Mitchell moved from quarterback to receiver this season and is 6-4, 230-pounds and very athletic.
Arkansas is looking for anything that will keep the Bama defense off balance.
Either way, running backs Knile Davis and Dennis Johnson will really have to move the ball on the ground for this offense to be successful against Alabama.
Here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter who plays QB. They could put Tom Brady back there but if you can’t protect him, it doesn’t matter. Arkansas’s pass protection is horrific. I pity the fool that is asked to be under center when the Tide come rolling into town. It’s going to be UGLY.
True Sabanite. But I think the glaring deficiency on the Arkansas team is the defense. Look who they have played and already they are at the bottom of the league in defense. Unless Arkansas can put up more than 21 points (which they haven’t done in their last 4 games) I don’t think they will have a shot.
Their defense is worse than their pass protection, you’re right. Couple that with Alabama’s dominant O-line…I could line up at running back behind Alabama’s offensive line and gain 100 yards against the Hogs. I’d be sore the next day, but i’d gain 100. Arkansas is in trouble boys and not just this week. John L Smith better be saving that 800k that Arky is paying him because he’s going to be unemployed soon. Although that money likely is getting distributed to his creditors via bankruptcy court. What a mess.
I made a sizable bet at Alabama -20. We’ll see what happens.