Alabama's prepared for two-quarterback system from Ohio State
Although a lot has been made of the University of Alabama facing a quarterback making just his second start when it faces Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, Nick Saban revealed that he doesn’t think Cardale Jones will be the only way taking snaps for the Buckeyes.
Expanding on something he said during his radio show the night before, Saban said that Alabama prepared to also see Jalin Marshall at quarterback as well during his final pre-game press conference on Wednesday morning.
“Well, we sort of thought philosophically that they would have a two‑quarterback system, because there’s quite a bit of quarterback run‑type plays that they would implement even if it was a non‑quarterback at quarterback, which we feel No. 17 has done that some in the past and is a very, very capable player and was an outstanding player doing that in high school.
“So we’ve kind of looked at that as something that is a great possibility and tried to practice some of those scenarios. Now, what they do and how they do it, we have no real clue other than what they’ve done to this point. But we do have respect for both guys and what their abilities are and what they can do.”
Marshall, listed on the roster as a 5-foot-11, 205-pound freshman H-back, was a quarterback at Middletown High School in Ohio, where he rushed for a school-record 4,759 yards during his career. During his senor season he passed for 2,240 yards, but also ran for including more than 1,400 yards.
Jones (6 foot 5, 250 pounds) made his first start in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, to go with eight carries for nine rushing yards.
“I think our players are going to have to adjust to both the players in the game,” Saban continued about the national playoff semifinal (8:30 p.m., ET, ESPN). “And I think one of the points that I made about staying focused and keeping your intensity level up and expecting the unexpected in a game like this and playing with discipline are all things that are going to be a real key to being able to adapt to a situation like that, because whatever they choose to do may be a little bit unexpected in terms of what we’ve been able to prepare for.
“So we’re going to have to … our players are going to have to adapt and adjust to that. But we have seen it enough that they at least have an expectation of what could happen in both those scenarios.”
Of note, Alabama players had said that Ohio State’s offense reminded them a little of Mississippi State’s, as Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen used to be Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator at Florida.
When they played in early November, quarterback Dak Prescott completed 27 of 48 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions. His running game tallied 40 carries for 138 rushing yards, with Prescott leading the way with 82 yards on 22 carries.
Alabama won 25-20.