Hurts wasn't no slouch...I think he earned 2 MNC rings all by himself before Tua took over IIRC. At least one that I know of (and yes I'm too lazy /don't care to look it up on google). Tua IMO is a much better player but Hurts is a solid player and game manager just like 'Bama's other NC teams.
agreed... however, a good marshal which Saban is knows you work with what you have and what you can take.
he has a stout D that can be relied on to keep them in every game against any opponent- this is where his dynasty starts- and it is based on linemen that could likely play on Sundays in their present form.
he has a running game behind brawny O line that can average three yards and a cloud of dust, ensuring first downs and clock management, and 'leaning' on opponents for the win..... as it is, this is a 'fallback'. there isn't a team around they can't beat in this manner with the exception of Clemson and UGA... perhaps tOSU depending on which one of them you get that day. this is something other teams wish they could do as a primary that Bama knows they can revert to if needed.
with Hurts, he can throw adequately, hand it off as good as anyone, read a D decently, and he can run- dropping his shoulder if he chooses and taking LB's on. with Tua, they can light up any square inch of the field at any given time- this stretches even the better D's out as they now have to rely on linemen to close lanes by themselves, or Safety's to pull up for that one or two split second 'read' time... they have an explosive team with Tua, and much more so than with 'just' Hurts. that explosiveness is almost unfair, and the reason these guys are being called the end all be all this season.
all of this equates to Bama setting the tone of games and letting their opponent beat themselves by falling into a deer in the headlights 'oh shit' and reverting to low percentage high yield plays- sometimes it works out; sometimes it doesn't. UGA was able to match bama's offense components with their d components- not everyone can do that. they have a roster that is in the same class as bama's, but not the depth. clemson has the starting D to manage bama or OU, when they decide to use it for their 20~30 or so minutes a game. OU has to face two fronts- the best D they've played all year, and the puzzle of defending against them.... all bama has to do is go to work.......
again, though, there is a long time to prepare, and Riley is a tactician just like Herman is- while Saban is a fundamentalist just like Smart is..... this makes for interesting 'one off' games where you can come at somebody, well rehearsed, with nothing seen before and absolutely favors the tactician.
