Alabama Crimson Tide

Muschamp's biggest concern may be TE O.J. Howard

Published Nov. 25, 2015 3:14 p.m. ET

foxsports

Despite only catching 30 passes for 335 yards and being held without a touchdown reception this season, Alabama's junior tight end O.J. Howard has caught the attention of Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp this week.

"O.J. Howard's a mismatch issue for us so we've got to be able to handle him in the coverage," Will Muschamp said.

"He runs vertically extremely well, he's got really good ball skills and I think that Lane (Kiffin) does a good job of putting him in situations to be successful. They use him in the passing game obviously, but he also does a nice job of sealing off in the run game and doing some things to use him in his athleticism. You've got to count him as a tight end but he's also a guy who can flex out and hurt you in the passing game."

Perhaps more troubling for Muschamp than Howard's numbers are his own unit's stats, as the Tigers currently ranked 12th in the SEC in passing defense. If the Tigers stack the box to slow down running back Derrick Henry, don't be surprised if the Tide test the Tiger secondary with some play action early in the Iron Bowl.