Tide, Spartans will get a later start

Michigan State and Alabama square off in the Cotton Bowl in a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup. “Our nutritionist wasn’t, but it was a good deal, got us closer”. “We’ll probably get to kick off”.

But there is some question as to how Coker will handle Michigan State’s pressure in tonight’s game. If it wasn’t for Saban, Dantonio and the Spartans might not be where they are today.

Without much impact from reigning Heisman victor Derrick Henry, second-seeded Alabama still throttled No. 3 Michigan State, 38-0, in front of 82,812 at AT&T Stadium behind stifling defense and one of the best games in the career of quarterback Jake Coker. Though that phrase may not sound the greatest to the players who play in the program, it is a direct correlation to coaching ability. Saban watched Dantonio’s coaching career progress, always impressed. Michigan State trailed just 10-0 at the time and had driven 63 yards in 80 seconds. The Spartans won the first two, at MI and Ohio State. The Crimson Tide have defeated three CFP Top 25 teams (No. 19 Florida, No. 20 LSU, No. 23 Tennessee).

They win by being the Big Ten’s most physical team in the trenches, but as SEC teams have found out, that’s hard to do against this particular opponent.

Saban improved to 9-0 against his former assistant coaches in impressive fashion. “I think this year we wanted to sort of take the game and really thought our guys had a vision of what they wanted and everybody paid the price for what they had to do in preparation”. “Here comes Michigan State back in that familiar role where despite all the wins they have had they’re still being called underdogs”. The Spartans have won two Big Ten titles, the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl in the last three seasons.

The other key area is this game is the performance and health of Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook.

How can a man who has no national championships have an advantage over a man who has four?

“This is the first time in a while we’ve had this happen to us”, coach Mark Dantonio said. “And we’re looking forward to our moment”.

This is one of his favorite Alabama teams, which is saying a little.

In what was supposed to be a grind-it-out game, Alabama rolled past Michigan State on Thursday.

The Big Ten has already changed its reputation, led by the Buckeyes’ title a year ago and the Spartans consistent success, including against Baylor in the Cotton Bowl last year.

Robert Brown, of Odessa said, I just felt my auto drop. Turning to the Crimson Tide defense, there are several areas to keep an eye on.

“They look like an National Football League defense in size, speed, the hits that they put on their opponents”, Cook said.

Following Coker’s deep score to Ridley, Henry scored his second touchdown of the game, an 11-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Henry is the first running back in SEC history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.

Michigan State has never played the Tigers. “Win a Cotton Bowl”, fifth-year senior quarterback Connor Cook said.

The Tide’s 29 graduates breaks the previous national mark of 28 that played for Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma.

The players said they were more focused and promised to be more prepared, more precise in their execution and more relentless in their effort.