Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel exploded onto the college football scene in his first year as a starter. The redshirt freshman leads a No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2 SEC) offense that ranks third in the nation in total offense and fourth in scoring offense.
Manziel has racked up 3,449 yards of total offense (2,527 passing, 922 rushing) and 31 total touchdowns (16 passing, 15 rushing).
His outstanding play earned him the nickname “Johnny Football” and has some national pundits considering him as a serious Heisman Trophy candidate.
His play caught the attention of No. 1 Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC) and head coach Nick Saban. Saban has faced dual-threat quarterbacks such as Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Denard Robinson in recent years, but dug a little deeper to find a player that compared to Manziel.
“I’ve been around longer than most, and most of our players can’t relate to this, but this guy reminds me of Doug Flutie,” Saban said. “I played against him a long time ago, but he was a really good player and a really good competitor and that’s who this guy reminds me of.
“He can throw it. He’s not big in stature or anything like that; he’s extremely quick; he’s very instinctive – has a unique ability to extend plays and seems to know when to take off and run it. He scrambles and makes plays throwing the ball down the field.”
So how do you stop a guy with Manziel’s particular skill set?
“You just have to practice against scrambling,” Saban said. “You have to practice scramble rules, matching patterns, trying to contain the guy in the pocket and push the pocket, because he doesn’t just run around you – he’ll step up [and throw the ball].”
Manziel has terrorized lesser opponents but has struggled against the upper-echelon defenses in the SEC. During his games against Florida and LSU, Manziel combined for 87 rushing yards and threw three interceptions. By comparison, Manziel has rushed for at least 75 yards against every team not named Florida or LSU.
Alabama will look to adopt the same strategy. The Crimson Tide will try to contain him inside the pocket and force him to be a pocket passer. It will take a concerted effort from the entire defense to contain Manziel, but it all boils down to one key factor, said defensive lineman Damion Square.
“Have to be a sure tackle,” Square said. “Can’t let a 2-yard gain turn into a 35-yard gain. You have to get a guy on the ground; you have to try and get as many three-and-outs as possible and the offense has to get on the field and control the tempo of the game.”
