Missouri Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Missouri and Alabama will face off in the SEC Championship game. Alabama comes into the game with a 11-1 record and representing the West. Their sole loss came in early October against Ole Miss in a low scoring affair, 23-17. Missouri comes into the game with a 10-2 record and representing the East. Their two losses came to a 4-8 Indiana team (27-31) and a blow-out loss to Georgia (0-34)
Missouri does not have an explosive offense and that may be troubling going up against Alabama, even with Alabama’s defense getting torched recently. Their offensive numbers are nothing to write home about. Under center is junior Maty Mauk. He has only completed 53% of his passes with 2,279 yards, 22 TDs, and 11 INTs.
On the ground, Missouri uses two backs, with both carrying the same work load. Russell Hansbrough carried the ball 177 times while Marcus Murphy carried the ball 158 times. Hansbrough has been more effective, racking up 949 yards and 9 TDs while Murphy has gained 747 yards with only 4 TDs.
Bud Sasser is a senior WR who gets most of the looks from Mauk. He has 65 receptions for 905 yards, which has been considered a breakout year for him. He had not been used much in his previous three years.
Alabama comes into the game as the #1 ranked team in the nation. There is controversy on the ranking, many believing that they do not deserve it. One of the surprising components of Alabama this year has been the lack of great play from their defense. Yes, they have lost many great players in the recent years but normally they are seen as a team that reloads, not rebuilds, and keeps on rolling.
One of the changes for Alabama is their offensive play calling. Lane Kiffin seems to been given a long leash and he has turned the Alabama offense into a passing threat. They are ranked 21st in passing, which is a complete shock. In past years, ‘Bama has been built on defense and running the ball.
Blake Sims, a senior, leads the Alabama attack from the quarterback position. He has been efficient in passing with a 63% completion mark while throwing 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Sims fell just short of the 3,000 mark, finishing the regular season with 2,988 yards passing.
T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry share most of the running duties for the Tide. A slight edge goes to Yeldon in the featured back role. Much of the Tide nation believes the disparity gap between Yeldon and Henry should increase more with Yeldon getting more opportunities. On the year, Yeldon had 170 carries for 885 yards while Henry carried the ball 139 times for 754 yards. They both saw the pay dirt eight times.
Amari Cooper is the star for the wide receiving crew. He has the same amount of catches (103) as the next five receivers have combined. Cooper has been in conversation about receiving consideration for the Heisman. On the 103 catches, Cooper has 1,573 yards and has an astonishing 14 TD grabs for the Tide. To show his dominance, the Tide have seventeen other players who have caught a pass. Those seventeen players have the same number (14) of touchdowns.
The Prediction: The Tide will roll to the SEC championship. Blake Sims will hook up with Cooper, Yeldon will run wild, and a healthier Alabama defense will stifle the mediocre Tigers offense.
The Tide win big, 38-17.
Photo Location: http://fox2now.com/2014/11/29/mizzou-to-meet-alabama-for-sec-championship/
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