Wisconsin fans are starting to have hope again after two back-to-back wins. The backup quarterback, Danny O'Neil, was electric last week, and there's a touch of optimism hovering in the air in Madison. The real test has now arrived. Is Wisconsin better? Can they hang with Alabama? Can they do the impossible and beat the Crimson Tide?
I spoke with FanSided's Alabama site expert, John Mitchell, over at BamaHammer.com. I asked him four simple questions so we know what Alabama fans and media think about this upcoming game. I started hot, hoping to get some spice.
What would it take for Wisconsin to beat Bama?
Normally, when I’ve been asked this over the years, the easy answer has been turnovers and fluky plays. That might sound arrogant, but for the majority of the Nick Saban era, that was how the Tide lost. That hasn’t been the case under Kalen DeBoer so far. What has seemed to ail the team the most in the five losses since he took over is a lack of consistent effort.
Alabama has come into several games and looked like a team that wasn’t prepared to play football. I’d be surprised, but not shocked, if that was the case this weekend. That would mean a timid defense that doesn’t fly to the ball and allows Wisconsin to dictate the tempo and pace of the game. That would mean an offense that can’t get any push at the line of scrimmage, and the run game never gets going.
That would put the full weight of the game on Ty Simpson’s shoulders, and while he played extremely well last week, he’s still a pretty inexperienced QB who doesn’t always trust his protection or what he’s seeing down the field, against a well-coached defense, that could lead to some back-breaking mistakes that swing the game the other way.
Name 3 players that will impact the game the most for the Crimson Tide?
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C Parker Brailsford: He is Alabama’s best player, period. Cole Cubelic believes he’s the best center in college football, and I believe he’s right. Brailsford is the calming presence in the middle for Alabama. He’s a captain, gets everyone lined up correctly, and is one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the country. He’s the key to Alabama’s interior and perimeter run game with his ability to snap and pull to the outside as a lead blocker. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s held his own against plenty of monstrous defensive tackles at Alabama and at Washington before.
QB Ty Simpson: I was tempted to go with another Washington transfer in WR Germie Bernard, or perhaps a fully healthy Ryan Williams, assuming he’s able to play this week and has cleared concussion protocol. But Simpson is the most important player on the team, and how he performs will dictate how well Alabama’s offense does against Wisconsin. He was outstanding against UL Monroe, setting an Alabama record by completing all 17 of his passes in the game. He has a ton of talent to get the football to the outside, but he’s got to trust what he sees and then let it rip.
DT James Smith: Smith is Alabama’s best defensive lineman and can be a total game-wrecker from the interior. He’ll be key not only in trying to stop the Wisconsin rushing attack, but also in getting pressure on whichever QB makes the start for the Badgers. He had three tackles-for-loss last week against UL Monroe and completely blew up everything the Warhawks wanted to do.
What are you hoping to see from Alabama, outside of a win?
This one is easy for most Alabama fans: just consistent effort. Pride in playing for the University of Alabama. The realists among us in the fanbase (and there are some, contrary to what you might see online) fully understand that the glory days with Nick Saban are now over.
That doesn’t mean we have to accept mediocrity, and it certainly doesn’t mean we have to accept the team that showed up in Tallahassee thinking it could win because of the uniform it was wearing. If Alabama plays with its hair on fire like it did a week ago, if they can get back to being process-driven over results-driven, then the wins will take care of themselves.
Give me your score prediction.
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I think Wisconsin has taken a step forward, but I’m also not sure that’s going to be all that evident this weekend. The Badgers have the misfortune of catching a team that did some soul-searching and seems to finally understand the kind of effort and attitude they have to bring every week.
They also can’t rely on Alabama looking ahead to Georgia thanks to a perfectly placed bye week following this game. I think Alabama still has a significant talent edge in this game, and while it’ll be closer than it was last season in Madison, it probably won’t be close enough to appease Wisconsin fans who are thirsty for a big win in the Luke Fickell era.