Alabama’s offense vs. Oklahoma’s defense. In a game between teams that can score in bunches, the favored Crimson Tide hope to avoid a shootout, and their offense can play a role in that. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa appears to have recovered sufficiently from minor ankle surgery and is expected to lead a unit that averages 47.9 points and 527.6 yards. The Sooners rank a worrisome 108th in total defense but showed improvement late in the season, making a string of big plays. So Alabama coach Nick Saban views Saturday night in terms of possession time. He would like his offense to engineer long drives, eating up the clock and avoiding mistakes that would give Oklahoma more chances to score. “Turnovers, dropped balls, not continuing drives on third down, letting them have extra opportunities in the game — you’re actually enhancing their opportunities to a large degree, and that’s something that you definitely want to avoid,” he said.
Source: latimes.com – Los Angeles Times