Tide Face Wildcats in Sugar Bowl Showdown
Despite media proclamations of the end of the dynasty, Alabama seems ready for the Sugar Bowl.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
This will most likely be Bryce Young’s final game for Alabama. Photo via Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
After Alabama completed a 10-2 regular season with their third straight victory over archrival Auburn, Tide nation held their collective breath in hopes that Bama would backdoor their way into the College Football Playoff. Despite upsets of two teams in front of them, the Crimson Tide was rightfully left out of the party, ending the season just on the outside at #5. The prize for yet another 10 win season is a matchup in the Big Easy against Big 12 champion and 9th ranked Kansas State on New Year’s Eve. Chris Klieman’s Wildcats enter with an impressive 10-3 record, with their most impressive win coming in the Big 12 title game, where they topped previously unbeaten and playoff bound TCU 31-28 in overtime.
KSU will face a Tide squad that will be at nearly full strength, as despite 12 players entering the transfer portal last month (including starting guard Javion Cohen, who is headed to Miami), not a single Alabama player has opted out of the Sugar Bowl. This includes juniors Bryce Young and Will Anderson, widely considered to be two of the top three picks in the upcoming NFL draft. Bama players who had the opportunity to opt out have been quite vocal in saying that love for the program and their team made their decision to play in a so-called “meaningless” bowl game an easy one. Combined with a monster, top-rated recruiting class signing with the Tide last week, all talk about the demise of the Crimson and White Dynasty under Nick Saban has been quieted for now. The Tide are out to prove that they were playoff worthy while the Wildcats are set to reinforce their Big 12 supremacy as this one looks like one of the best matchups outside of the playoffs.
Kansas State enters the Sugar Bowl having won four straight. Offensively, the unit ranks 42nd nationally, averaging 420 yards and 33.2 points per game. Junior quarterback Will Howard has played well, completing 61% of his passes and has an impressive touchdown to interception ratio of 15-2. The Wildcats run game is their strength and features 5’6’’, 176 pound junior tailback Deuce Vaughn, who averages 5.6 yards per carry and has scored 8 touchdowns on the season. Through the air, senior Malik Knowles averages 15.3 yards per catch while fellow wideouts Phillip Brooks and Kade Warner have a combined 9 touchdowns. Senior place kicker and punter Ty Zetnar has hit on all nine of his field goal attempts with a long of 53 yards. On defense, the Wildcats rank 55th overall, giving up 365.8 yards and 20.8 points per game. A strong but undersized front seven is anchored by junior linebacker Austin Moore (85 tackles) and junior defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah (8.5 sacks).
5th ranked Alabama enters on a three game win streak and has lived on the edge for most of the season, scoring close wins over Texas, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss while falling to Tennessee and LSU, both on the last play of the game, by a combined 4 points. The Tide offense ranks 13th in the country, averaging 40.8 points and 475 yards per contest. Quarterback Bryce Young has had a stellar junior season, completing 64% of his passes for 27 touchdowns against only 5 interceptions. As stated throughout the year, an inconsistent line and a receiving corps that is without a breakout player has forced Young to create something out of nothing far too often. Sophomore Ja’Corey Brooks leads all receivers, averaging 16.8 yards per catch and has 7 touchdowns on the season. Backs Jahmyr Gibbs, Jace McClellan, and Roydell Williams have combined for 17 touchdowns on the ground, while Gibbs has proven to be a clutch receiver out of the backfield as well. He leads the team in receptions with 42 catches. Senior placekicker Will Reichard has had another solid season,connecting on 21 of 25 attempts with a season-long kick of 52 yards. Defensively, the Tide ranks 14th overall, giving up an average of 311 yards and 18 points per game. Linebackers Henry To’oTo’o, Will Anderson, Dallas Turner, and Jaylen Moody continue to lead the way, however the play of the secondary will have a lot to say in how the Sugar Bowl goes for the Tide.
Here’s saying that the Sugar Bowl will live up to expectations as two motivated teams vie for win #11 on the season. Kansas State should take advantage of an inconsistent Bama rush defense to keep this one close for at least a half, yet eventually, the Tide rise to the occasion with a consistent offense and timely stops on defense. Alabama makes a statement and heads into 2023 with a head of steam.
Alabama 40
Kansas State 24