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Jimbo Fisher is as familiar with what it takes to beat Alabama as any coach in America.
The Florida State coach recently shared some of those principles, and some of those apply to any opponent: Be physical at the line of scrimmage and avoid turnovers. Fisher said games typically turn in Alabama’s favor when its defense creates turnovers, which lead to points, along with big plays on special teams.
“You got to be able to run the football, make them respect the run, and vice versa, on defense, you’ve got to be physical at the line of scrimmage, and be able to hold up,” Fisher said on ESPNU Radio on Sirius XM. “Because if you’re physical at the line, and they can’t pound it, pound it, they’ve got to rely on the passing game, which they can throw it, but you’ve got to eliminate what they do well.”
Fisher added that responding to those plays when Alabama scores on defense or special teams should be ingrained into a program.
“Don’t let one become three and don’t dwell on things,” Fisher said. “That’s a mental toughness thing that you have to have as well, and not become outcome-oriented.”
The Seminoles and Crimson Tide meet at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
What’s @fsucoachfisher‘s formula for defeating @AlabamaFTBL? “You’ve got to eliminate what they do well.”#Playbookhttps://t.co/0PBFreY18x pic.twitter.com/y5hYlbcKwd
— ESPNU Radio on SXM (@ESPNUonSiriusXM) August 31, 2017
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
