Will Anderson: 'It's win or go home' time for Alabama
Alabama is getting ready to do something no team has done before: Play a G5 team in the College Football Playoff. That doesn’t mean the stakes aren’t high, though.
Just ask Will Anderson.
Alabama and Cincinnati are gearing up to square off in the Cotton Bowl on Friday in the CFP semifinals. The winner gets a ticket to the national championship. The loser heads back to campus.
Anderson knows which side he wants to be on when the horn sounds.
“As a leadership group, we came together and we just have to tell the team, ‘We know what’s at stake. It’s win or go home,'” Anderson told reporters. “‘We don’t want to go home. We want to win.’ … I think everybody just needs to be locked in on what’s going on right now, and the main focus is winning this game and being all-in. Nobody needs to be distracted, going out, running in the streets, anything like that.
“I think when you have a group of guys like that on leadership that we all can come to the same thing, nobody was being selfish, everybody had a mutual understanding of … [knowing] what’s going on. It was really good. With the team, most guys would be like complaining and stuff like that. The team has responded very well. There hasn’t been any complaining, no negativity, nobody’s been a cancer, everybody responded the right way and practice has been great. I think that’s what it’s all about.”
Alabama still has some momentum after last month’s SEC Championship. The Crimson Tide dominated a Georgia defense that held teams to 6.9 points per game heading into the matchup to come away with a 41-24 win. A rematch isn’t out of the cards in the national championship, which is coming up Jan. 10.
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Kirk Herbstreit reveals thoughts on Alabama vs. Cincinnati
It’s College Football Playoff week, and predictions are coming in from all over. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who’s on the call for the Orange Bowl, shared his thoughts on the other College Football Playoff game: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati.
It’s an intriguing matchup between the SEC powerhouse Crimson Tide and American Athletic Conference champion Bearcats. Although Alabama proved it can be dominant with everyone — go rewatch the SEC Championship against the nation’s top defense — Herbstreit isn’t totally counting out Cincinnati.
“I think they are going to compete in the game,” Herbstreit said Monday, via AL.com. “I don’t see them getting blown out. I think they match up fairly well. It’s tough to match up with Alabama, as well all know.”
“I think their corners give them a chance defensively,” he continued. “They have a defensive line that’s undersized but quick. They are a veteran team, so I don’t think they’ll be in awe looking over and seeing Alabama. (Quarterback) Desmond Ridder is going to have to make some plays.”