NEW ORLEANS -- There's an almost limitless supply of information available to Cardale Jones, more than a season of Alabama game films, anything and everything a Nick Saban defense has thrown at opponents over the last calendar year.
With just one measly game and a couple of mop-up appearances to watch as the Crimson Tide study up on Jones and Ohio State, Saban's supply is limited, to say the least.
It's almost a certainty that Alabama's defensive guru will cook up something a redshirt sophomore quarterback making just the second start of his career isn't prepared for, no matter how much footage Jones might have at his disposal. But while there is no substitute for experience and Ohio State's offensive philosophy doesn't change regardless of who is running the attack, there's at least a chance it might actually be Jones who has something of an edge leading up to Thursday's Allstate Sugar Bowl as a mystery man reading an open book, complex as it might be.
"There's been countless [hours], dating back to last year's Sugar Bowl, just trying to be prepared for any and everything," Jones said. "It's not so much exotic, but I would say they're a schematic defense. They prepare for the team they play that week, and they change their looks to defeat that team's offense.
"But we're not trying to fool anybody here. I mean, Nick Saban and Alabama's coaching staff have seen it all."
What the Crimson Tide haven't seen much of is Jones in action during many competitive situations, which might make it a challenge to put together a detailed scouting report of his tendencies, strengths and weaknesses.
What the former third-string quarterback did put on film in the 59-0 throttling of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game certainly caught Alabama's attention, though, and it proved without much doubt that he has the physical tools to pose a threat in the College Football Playoff both as a rusher and a passer. But outside of that breakout performance, there are only 18 other pass attempts on his resume, leaving little for Alabama to evaluate as it tries to formulate a plan to shut him down.
"Well, not knowing how he reacts to different things would be the toughest thing," Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said. "You don't know how he's going to react in certain situations. You haven't seen enough tape to know.
"That's probably the hardest thing for us to get prepared for is we're watching one quarterback (J.T. Barrett) in a lot of games, yet we're going to face a different quarterback. So knowing what they want to do with that guy makes it harder, tougher to get ready for."
Even with all those extra hours of tape, Jones doesn't exactly have it all that much easier gearing up for the Crimson Tide, who are athletic, talented and intelligent enough to throw just about anything at the Buckeyes.
And in terms of reacting to different blitzes or coverages, the obvious downside to the lack of previous game film on Jones is that it means he doesn't have much experience putting his prep work into action on the field.
"I'm sure they will have a ton that he hasn't seen," Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman said. "He hasn't seen a lot, by the way. He only played 62 plays against Wisconsin. But I don't think defenses game plan against quarterbacks. Defenses game plan against systems and plays and formations and tendencies and downs and distances.
"Will they say, this is this kid's strength or these are his weaknesses? Yes, but at the end of the day you've got to stop the entire machine."
Alabama only needed one tape to see that Jones could keep it humming along. But he hasn't left it with much else to work with to try to slow him down behind the wheel.
