Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Alabama working on plans to stop Auburn and Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Newton

Alabama's video monitors are surely alive this week with clips of Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Newton and his devastating moves that have left defenders distraught.
So how does the Crimson Tide plan to stop him?
"It' s a big challenge," Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus said. "We've got to try to contain Cam. We don't want to let him get out. He can get all of his yards on the secondary. He's a great player. You can't just stop him. You've got to contain him. We've got to keep him east and west. It's pretty hard to do, but we're going to try to do it and buckle down."
At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, catching Newton on the loose is like trying to hog-tie a charging bull.
The difference? Not only can he bowl over defenders, he can dance around them and break away for big gains.
"It's always going to be hard when you're tackling a guy that big who can actually run and move," Crimson Tide defensive back Mark Barron said.
Newton is ninth in the nation in rushing yards, averaging 117.9 per game, and he has been compared to former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.
That means it's important for Alabama to finish the initial hits it makes on Newton.
"I'm going to go in and use the same technique I've been using in the last (11) games," Alabama defensive back Robert Lester said. "By him being a big guy, I've got to give it everything I've got, whoever comes out on top comes out on top."
Just how tough is it to stop Newton? Highlights from Auburn's 24-17 win against LSU show Newton weaving through the LSU defense on a 49-yard touchdown run capped by dragging defensive back Patrick Peterson into the end zone.

"The only thing you can do is learn from other guys' mistakes," Lester said. "Our defense, we're shooting to the ball, and hopefully I have backup when I hit him."

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