Florida coach Urban Meyer said this week his team won’t start preparing to face Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Championship until the week of the game, but the Crimson Tide will get a feel for the Gators this week.
No. 3 (AP)/No. 2 (BCS) Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC) will travel to Mississippi State (4-5, 2-3 SEC) on Saturday to face former UF offensive coordinator Dan Mullen’s offense, giving the Tide a preview of what to expect on Dec. 5.
“I think their offense is similar in some ways to Florida in terms of how they can run the ball,” UA coach Nick Saban said. “I think they’re very effective running the ball, and I think the No. 1 objective we’re going to have is to try to stop the run.
“It’s a challenging offense to defend. I think coach Mullen has done a great job over there installing the offense and teaching it, and the players are doing a wonderful job of executing it.”
The Bulldogs boast the nation’s No. 12 rushing offense and a talented running back in Anthony Dixon, but Saban’s defense should be up to the task.
Alabama is ranked in the nation’s top six in four defensive categories (rushing, passing efficiency, total and scoring) and can rely on playmakers like cornerback Javier Arenas.
In his second season as a defensive starter, Arenas has shown himself to be much more than just a deadly kick returner. Arenas averages more than six tackles and more than one tackle for loss per game, and Saban believes his playmaker has shown enough to warrant a high selection in the NFL Draft.
Kiffin credits Coach O: Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin garnered most of the attention during the Volunteers’ coaching shakeup last year, but Lane believes another coach should be getting spotlighted for his efforts as well.
Defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron, who formerly coached at Ole Miss, hasn’t just been an invaluable tool in recruiting and coaching, he has also been the go-to assistant when it comes to keeping players in line.
“He deals with a lot of our discipline and has done a phenomenal job with that,” Kiffin said. “Our first semester here we have our highest GPA, I believe, in five years.
“We’ve had zero arrests in 11 months here.”
Saban a movie star?: Saban plays himself in “The Blind Side,” a movie about Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher’s journey from poverty to Ole Miss, and he had no problem being directed around instead of calling the shots.
“It’s easy to take orders when you don’t know anything about what you’re doing,” he said. “In fact, I was seeking guidance from everyone there who would give me any.
“I don’t think I need to switch professions or get rid of my day job to [act], but it was a wonderful experience.”
The film, which also stars Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, hits theaters Nov. 20.
