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The University of Alabama defense had its turn with the media on Sunday morning. Here’s some of what was said.
DL JONATHAN ALLEN
(On watching film on the Ohio State Offensive Line earlier in the season) “I watched a little bit of film earlier in the season, but that’s not who they are now. So, we really can’t focus on who they were back then. We’re going to look in terms of the most recent games and, like I said, they’re a good group…a lot of experience; they work well together, big and physical. We’re excited for the challenge.”
(On anticipating what the Ohio State offensive may do) “Yeah, we have an idea of what they’re gonna do. We gotta do what we’ve been doing all year. It’s a little bit challenging because we didn’t have a lot of film on them, but I think we’ll be able to handle it.”
(On rating the Ohio State Offensive Line, it experience and if he sees any weakness) “They’re probably one of the better ones. Like you said, they already have a season of experience. We’re pretty experienced. They play well together, work well together, are big and physical. They are definitely a challenge, but we’re excited for the challenge.”
(On the SEC vs. the Big 10 and if he sees more speed in this Ohio State team) “I definitely see more speed in this Ohio State team. Every single one of their skill positions can fly and I feel that’s something that’s really helped them out throughout the year.”
(On if they [Ohio State] remind him of anyone in the SEC) “I really don’t think I can compare them specifically. They do things that Mississippi State did, that Texas A&M did, that a lot of other teams did. But, to compare them to one individual team out there, I can’t do that.”
DB NICK PERRY
(On challenges playing Cardale Jones) “He’s a mystery. Really don’t know exactly what all he can do or what kind of offense they’re gonna have come game time, so we’re just preparing for everything and anything. You know they’re gonna come out there with something different on game day and we just have to be able to adjust and go out there and execute.”
(On bowl game mindset) “It’s kinda weird. We’re usually used to travelling the day before the game, but now we’re traveling like 5 or 6 days before, so we just gotta stay focused. It’s hard to stay focused in a city like this with the music and the crowds, and all the distractions. We just have to be together as a team and make sure everybody knows what our goal is.”
(On being a part of first ever playoffs) “I’ll appreciate it a lot more if we can win both games.”
(On Coach Saban’s support after Arkansas game) “Basically he’s had our back. He felt like that was the most important win of our season; that changed our season. The media was kinda on us for only winning by one point. Sometimes he felt like the expectation was too great and at the time nobody really respected Arkansas, but now everybody respects them. Because of that game and how we came together, and faced adversity, we’re in the position we are right now. We thank Coach Saban for that, for having our backs and we didn’t want to make him look bad. He had our backs, so we want to represent him well.”
(On challenge facing QB that has only had one start) “It’s hard. We’re used to playing guys that have been starting all season long. Like I said earlier, he’s a mystery. We don’t know what he’s gonna come out there and do. We don’t know his tendencies or what kinda plays he runs, what kinda offensive scheme they’re gonna have, so we’re just preparing for everything.”
(On a comparable QB to Cardale Jones) “Dak Prescott. He’s the same type of physical size, he might be even bigger. He runs well, he can throw the ball deep. He’s a good quarterback.”
(On Ohio State’s deep offensive game) “We respect them. We work on deep game all week long and they have very good receivers. Our primary goal is to go out there and compete, and know that they’re gonna try us and we got to be ready.”
(On staying focused through the break between games) “It’s tough with the layover between games. By just watching the bowl games over the past week, you can tell the difference, you know, with the sloppy play. The turnovers, the miscommunications, the missed tackles and stuff like that. Coach Saban has done a good job for us by keeping us competitive, keeping us in shape and holding us to a higher standard.”
(On last year’s bowl game) “We definitely have a chip on our shoulder. We’re not really thinking about last year, but it’s in the back of our minds that we didn’t play our best game. We weren’t really prepared well, so we want to come out there and put a different picture in everybody’s head. That left a bad taste in our mouth and we don’t ever want to have that feeling again.”
DB LANDON COLLINS
(On playing in New Orleans in front of family and friends) “It’s always exciting to play in front of my family members that don’t get to see me as much. It’s always tremendous to see them at the end of the game and see a smile on their face.”
(On his approach this season) “I always try to do the best thing for my teammates. I play as hard as I can for them and I put myself in the right position to make plays so we could get to this point. That’s all I did.”
(On how the end of last season set up this season’s success) “Losing that game and the game before that definitely set us up, because we didn’t like that feeling. We just wanted to overcome what we had done and show that we are a different type of team.”
(On preparing for Ohio State QB Cardale Jones) “You can’t have that many thoughts. He did an excellent job against the last team they played. He put up major numbers and I’m looking for him to do the same thing against us.”
(On whether it is difficult to prepare for Ohio State QB Cardale Jones with only one game’s worth of film) “Just a little bit, because you haven’t seen him play. You haven’t seen his keys and what he likes to do. He’s played enough snaps to get a feed on what he likes to do. So, we’re going to have a little touch.”
(On having a knack for the ball and being in the right place at the right time) “I learned that from the guys that were before me. They taught me what to do and the key concepts. Then, I have a linebacker right there that knows what’s going on too; so, we are definitely on the same page to help each other out. We just figure it out and catch up with the game. Coach Saban and Coach Smart definitely help us out with the read and tell us what is going on. Plays and formations definitely help you out when you do a lot of film study.”
LB TREY DePRIEST
(On facing Ohio State) “I kind of felt like it was coming one day, because I have been having good seasons. I knew it would happen one day.”
(On the last two weeks) “I get a little trash talk at the house from everyone, but that’s alright. One of my best friends is Braxton [Miller], so he and I have been talking about it. It sucks that he isn’t playing, but it is what it is.”
(On his friendship with Braxton Miller) “We grew up in Springfield together. We played Peewee [football] together. We played middle school ball together. He went to a different high school, but we’ve been friends throughout school. We first met at Peewee football practice. I went to a different elementary school, but same middle school. He could throw the ball 70 yards in the seventh grade. We used to talk about playing in a big game one day, but we never thought it would be like this.”
(On the decision between Ohio State and Alabama) “I pretty much knew that this is where I wanted to go. I had a good relationship with Coach Sal [Sunseri]. He isn’t here anymore, but I had a good relationship with a lot of the guys. I had a good vibe with a lot of them.”
(On their thoughts on Ohio State’s offense and what stands out) “I really didn’t take Ohio State as a fast team until I started watching film. They get set and lined up pretty fast. The key for us is to get lined up. And, they do a lot of stuff on offense…a lot of stuff that he [Urban Meyer] did at Florida. It is a complicated offense, so you have to look at the right stuff.”
(On preparing for Ohio State QB Cardale Jones with little game film on him) “You can’t really see a lot of what he does on film. That is different, because you can’t really see who you want on film. He has played in a few games and we know what we can do. We saw what he did against Wisconsin. How he handled himself, not playing a lot before that and coming into the Big Ten Championship, and showing that type of composure and putting up the numbers that he did, was impressive.”
DB CYRUS JONES
(On what they’ve learned new about Ohio State) “I already know a little bit about them. I know they’re explosive and have athletes all over the field. We just have to come out and match that, and be aggressive, physical and try to make plays.”
(On what he sees in the different styles of wide receivers) “They have every type of wide receiver. They have big guys that they put on the perimeter to block well and can run screens. They also have the guys that can stretch the field vertically with their speed. You have to be ready for anything they do, because they have guys all over the field that can do anything.”
(On what it’s like only having one week of game tape on Cardale Jones) “I don’t think it affects us that much. We’re preparing like its Braxton Miller or JT [Barrett], so it’s not that big of a difference. You have to come out like you’re playing the starter who’s been in there the whole year.”
(On expecting Ohio State to challenge them with deep balls) “Yes definitely. A lot of teams think they can come out and pick on our secondary, but it’s up to us to strap down defensively and hold it down on the back end. It’s expected, but I think we’ll be ready for it.”
(On if Ohio State looks like an SEC team) “They look a lot like an SEC team. Speed wise they have a lot of guys that can run and their backs are very physical and run hard, so it’s not that much of a difference.”
(On dealing with a 6 foot 5 inch quarterback that’s such a dual threat) “Everybody has to do a good job of reading their keys in run/pass and be ready to tackle. Everyone’s going to be forced to tackle this game from the linebackers to the defensive backs and I think we have to be ready, in that aspect, and stay on top of our game.”
(On why the zone read offense works so well) “I think a lot of people have their eyes in the wrong place focusing on the pass and a lot of times. A lot of times when you have guys spread out you don’t have too many guys in the box and it leaves you vulnerable for those types of runs. We have to do a good job of reading run/pass, like I said, and be ready to tackle.”
(On what it’s like going against Amari Cooper in practice) “It’s great! I love it. I say all the time that going against [Amari] Cooper in practice is one of the reasons I’m a good player today. I credit him for my progress over the last year, because going against him is like playing the best guy in the country in my opinion. Covering him in practice makes it that much easier, in the game, covering anyone else.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
