00:00Big game in the SEC, and it's really one that may be defining for Brent Venables.
00:05And they want to keep their hopes alive out there in Norman, Oklahoma.
00:11They're going to need to get a victory this week on the road against Alabama.
00:14Fairly tight line, and Alabama has struggled running the ball.
00:19Ben, that Oklahoma defense is aggressive.
00:22They can maybe get after Ty Simpson, who's been playing at a Heisman level.
00:26Can they force him to make enough mistakes to maybe pull this outright upset?
00:30That's the question, Bobby, because Ty Simpson has not made many mistakes this year.
00:33In fact, Ty Simpson only has one interception and 21 touchdown passes so far this season for the Crimson Tide.
00:41Oklahoma is elite up front.
00:43They are one of the best defensive fronts in all of college football.
00:46But that's not necessarily the Crimson Tide's strength.
00:49Now, can they make Alabama one-dimensional and focus on Ty Simpson?
00:53Perhaps, but Oklahoma has done that in times past, even against Tennessee on Rocky Top.
00:59Joey Aguilar looked that up for more than 300 yards, but it did not result in a victory for the Volunteers.
01:05Ultimately, the question for me is not necessarily Alabama's offense versus that Sooner's defense.
01:12It's on the opposite side.
01:14A bye-week 4-0-U entering this game.
01:16Of course, Alabama last week taking on LSU at home.
01:20How healthy is John Mateer?
01:22Opening month of the season, before the thumb injury against Auburn, he was playing at a Heisman caliber level, both with his right arm and utilizing the athleticism.
01:31In the game against the Vols, they were great on the ground.
01:35They have found something in how the backfield has worked with the freshman Xavier Robinson and the wheels of John Mateer.
01:42But can they open it up with that second dimension through the air now if that right thumb has had time to heal for Mateer?
01:50If so, against an Alabama defense that is allowing nearly 140 rushing yards per game, Oklahoma starts there and starts to light it up.
01:58We have not seen a Crimson Tide defense get tested quite by the likes of a John Mateer in quite some time.
02:05Again, they kind of held down Diego, Pavia, and Vandy, but they had more than seven yards per carry.
02:11Missouri ran the football well with a mobile quarterback in both for Bula, averaging better than five yards per pop.
02:17The Alabama rush defense has improved, but that's going to be the biggest challenge.
02:21And for me, Bobby, it's more about Oklahoma's offense against that Alabama defense than vice versa.
02:26Who are you picking?
02:28I'm still going to expect Alabama to win the game.
02:31Because I think Alabama's a really good football team.
02:33I really trust in Kane Womack and how that defense has really improved up front for the Tide in their last three games.
02:40All right, because I highlight all these things because you're my guy.
02:45I was going to go to this conundrum of the ACC and the Big 12 and let you pick a game, but I'm not because of time.
02:52And I want you to go right to this one.
02:54Texas at Georgia.
02:56Georgia favored.
02:57Texas.
02:59Starting to play a little bit better.
03:01Must win, right?
03:02You got OU at Alabama.
03:03Texas at Georgia.
03:05What do you got, Ben?
03:06You said Texas is starting to play a little bit better.
03:09All right.
03:10I'll see it.
03:11They're top 10 in the country.
03:12This is the game that the offense that has struggled for the Longhorns really starts to rear its ugly head.
03:17Georgia wins this football game by at least a touchdown at home between the hedges.
03:21The key for UGA will be slowing down Arch Manning.
03:24Arch Manning had his best game of the year by far, especially against P4 foes in the victory against Vandy a few weeks ago in Austin.
03:3225-33, 328 through the air, three passing touchdowns.
03:36Outside of that, Arch Manning has not had a game against power conference competition with more than 200 yards and a 75% completion percentage or better.
03:45Georgia has struggled against the best quarterbacks.
03:48Joey Aguilar, Ty Simpson, Trinidad Chambliss have played well against this UGA secondary, but they're really good up front, and Texas cannot run the football.
03:56Fifth worst rushing offense in the SEC.
03:59Alabama is the third worst.
04:00I think Georgia wins.
04:02I think Georgia wins by at least a touchdown at home.
04:04Monitor the line.
04:05I expect it to start to go to UGA as the week progresses.
04:09If it doesn't, that should tell you something.
04:11I still think Georgia wins by at least a seven-point margin at home in Athens on Saturday.
04:17So between those two teams, between Texas and Oklahoma, if you had to pick one team that you thought was more capable of pulling the upset, you would definitely say it's Oklahoma?
04:25Yes.
04:25I would say it's Oklahoma because we are starting to see, at least we started to see Bobby against the Vols.
04:30That Ben Arbuckle offense with wheeling, stealing, dealing, John Mateer in an additional week of health in the bye week to rest up and get ready.
Be the first to comment