Bama to air it out?
Alabama may have the Heisman winner in the backfield, but the Tide may need quarterback Jake Coker to have a big game vs. Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl.
According to oddsmakers at RealBets, Alabama is favored in tonight’s playoff semifinal, as the Tide are getting odds of -10 points against the Spartans. The over/under total for the game has been set at 46.5 points. These two meet tonight at 8PM ET on ESPN. The game is being played from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
The senior quarterback for Alabama (12-1, 7-6 ATS) has been a decent game manager for the Tide this year. He has thrown for 2,489 yards and 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions in his first year as the starting QB. However, his worst game was the 43-37 loss to Ole Miss as he completed just 46 percent of his passes, finishing with 201 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Derrick Henry is likely to get his yards, but Bama faces a tough defensive front from Michigan State (12-1, 5-7-1 ATS), that allows just 113.1 rushing yards per game, which ranks ninth in the nation. Despite that, MSU has struggled against the pass, giving up just under 230 yards per game. That could mean big things for Coker if he can hit his deep throws. Oddsmakers have listed Coker’s over/under for passing yards at 200.5 and his over/under for TD passes at 1.5. Coker has thrown for at least 201 yards in six games this season and has multiple TD passes in five games. Michigan State is likely to come in with the game plan of stopping Henry. The Spartans have been known in the past to leave their corners in single coverage with no safety help. If Alabama has confidence in Coker, he should have plenty of chances to make big plays.
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