“One of the coaches in the SEC, won’t tell you who it is, said, ‘When you get there, put a curtain up at the 50-yard line and don’t look down there,’” Narduzzi said. “Obviously, (Alabama) looked pretty good.”

The No. 7 Spartans (11-1) will get to find out for themselves what it’s like to see Alabama (9-3) take the field on Jan. 1 when the teams meet for the first time in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Narduzzi said not only does the Crimson Tide of plenty of size, but Alabama also has talent all over the field.

Most notably, Narduzzi talked about the rushing attack of the Crimson Tide, which is highlighted by last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and his backup Trent Richardson.

After watching Alabama on the field, Narduzzi said its offense reminds him a lot of Iowa, which handed MSU its only loss of the season, 38-3 on Oct. 30.

“They have a lot of things Iowa does,” Narduzzi said. “Outside zone, inside zone, they’re going to keep pounding you.”

To stop the run game, sophomore defensive tackle Jerel Worthy said it’s important he and his teammates up front maintain their games and play disciplined.

“With athletic teams of this caliber … You just have to play sound football,” Worthy said. “Good technique is always going to get you through to a win.”

Worthy said it’s the front seven’s job to turn the Crimson Tide into a one-dimensional team, but even if Alabama is forced to throw, it has weapons on the outside to compete.

The best of those players is receiver Julio Jones, who is one of the top receivers in the country. Narduzzi described Jones as a “man child,” and head coach Mark Dantonio said he is a great big-play receiver.

“Julio Jones is a tremendous receiver,” Dantonio said. “Big body, great catching ability and runs great routes.”

Unlike Worthy, junior safety Trenton Robinson has to worry about the two-headed monster of Ingram and Richardson and also the deep threat of Jones. Although he admits it will be a tough matchup for MSU, Robinson said the Spartans will be fine if they handle their responsibilities and don’t get out of position.

“If we just do what we’re supposed to, it’s not going to be a problem,” Robinson said. “It’s going to be doing what we do every week, every Saturday.”

Since the beginning of the season, the MSU defense has been striving to prove it is better than what it showed in 2009. For 12 games, the Spartans have done that, but when they take on the Crimson Tide on New Year’s Day, it likely will be their biggest test of the season.

But it’s a test that Dantonio and MSU welcome.

“It will be a very difficult challenge for us,” Dantonio said. “But we’re looking forward to that opportunity.”