DALLAS (AP) – There has been little mystery with Alabama’s offense this season. The Crimson Tide have a 6-foot-3, 242-pound Heisman Trophy winner at tailback in Derrick Henry and the plan has been to swing that sledge hammer as many times as it takes to break the defense.
Michigan State is the next wall in the way.
The third-ranked Spartans face No. 2 Alabama on New Year’s Eve night in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, and they are determined not to crack.
“As the game progresses, people wear down,” Michigan State co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said Sunday. “You get tired of hitting that big back. Boom. Again. Here he comes again. Boom. Again and again and again. And so you have to have the mental toughness to be able to say, ‘Hold on. We’re going to hold up and we’re going to keep smacking him. Keep hitting him.’
“It’s a test of wills and his will has won out a lot of times this season.”