Peach Bowl Preview: 3 Keys For Alabama and Washington
By Ty Duffy
Alabama and Washington meet in the Playoff nearly cum Peach Bowl. Here are three keys
Forced Turnovers: The first key to staying with Alabama? Don’t lose the turnover battle. Washington leads the nation, forcing an average of 2.54 opponent turnovers per game. The Huskies were also first nationally in turnover margin (+1.61 per game).
Unorthodox Touchdowns: Alabama did not force as many turnovers as Washington in 2016. But, the Tide made them count. The Tide scored ten defensive touchdowns total. They returned all five fumbles recovered for touchdowns. They also took four punts back for touchdowns.
Washington Pass Protection: Alabama’s run defense has been nearly impenetrable. To win, Washington needs to make key throws from passing downs. While the Huskies’ offensive line has been excellent on standard downs, they rank just 110th in the nation in sack rate on passing downs. Alabama’s defense ranks fourth nationally in front seven havoc.