On New Year’s Day from Pasadena, No. 4 Alabama will take on No. 1 Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup at the Rose Bowl. Two of the most historic programs will battle it out for a chance to play for a national championship on Jan. 8.
For Alabama’s defense, the matchup may not frighten them from an explosive play standpoint, but the Michigan offense is guided by one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the country, J.J. McCarthy.
While his season stats are not jaw-dropping, McCarthy has displayed elite accuracy this year with his 74.2% completion percentage,
The Crimson Tide’s goal against the Wolverines will likely be to slow down the Michigan rushing attack and put the ball in McCarthy’s hands.
It is easy to glance over some of the box scores this season and believe that McCarthy is not capable of beating the Tide, but when you take a deeper look you see that McCarthy is athletic and efficient and will make things difficult for the Alabama defense.
McCarthy has five games this season where he completed 80% of his passes or more. You don’t get much more efficient than that. He also doesn’t turn the ball over, having just four interceptions on the season.
Regardless of some of his stat lines, McCarthy is an efficient player with the ability to make plays when he has to. Alabama’s defense will need to provide quick pressure forcing McCarthy into mistakes and not allowing him to get comfortable in the pocket.
How well McCarthy plays on Monday will go a long way in determining the outcome of this epic matchup.
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