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The Alabama defense has had one subpar outing (by its gaudy standards, at least) so far this season.
The Crimson Tide (4-0) allowed nearly 300 yards passing to Texas quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Hudson Card, even though neither was able to find a target in the end zone in Alabama’s 20-19 road win on September 10.
In fact, no one has. Action Network’s Brett McMurphy pointed out on Twitter that Alabama is the only FBS team that hasn’t given up a passing touchdown this fall.
Of the 131 FBS teams:
Colorado State only team w/out a rushing TD
USF only team w/out a passing TD
Iowa & Minnesota only teams haven’t allowed a rushing TD
Alabama only team hasn’t allowed a passing TD
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s group has given up a total of two touchdowns all season, one by Texas’ star running back, Bijan Robinson, and the other by Louisiana-Monroe running back Malik Jackson during Week 3. Overall, Alabama ranks third in the country in points allowed per game (7.3) and second in the country in yards per game (201.3).
Nick Saban Provides Injury Update on Senior Defensive Lineman
The Crimson Tide dominated Vanderbilt 55-3 in Alabama’s SEC opener on September 24, but the win didn’t come without a hitch. Senior defensive lineman Byron Young, the No. 8 defensive tackle in the 2019 recruiting cycle, was injured.
Young hurt his ankle in the third quarter, long after the game was decided. He was helped to the medical tent and later had to be carted back to the locker room. The 6-foot-3, 300-plus pound Young returned to the sideline in the fourth quarter with a walking boot on his right foot.
During his postgame press conference, Alabama head coach Nick Saban did not elaborate on the injury. “He’s got a sprained ankle,” Saban told reporters. “That’s the only update I’ve got.”
Saban Not Worried About Lack of Turnovers
Vanderbilt got little traction on offense this past Saturday, recording 129 total yards compared with 628 for the Crimson Tide. It was a one-sided, spread-covering whooping that Saban appeared content with — even though Alabama didn’t record a single turnover against the Commodores.
“I’ll take this kind of defense without turnovers,” Saban after the game. On the season, the Crimson Tide defense has forced two turnovers on downs and just one interception, which is tied for second to last place with 18 other FBS teams. Four schools have zero interceptions on the season.
Heisman hopeful Will Anderson, who has the best odds of any defensive player to win the award, according to Sports Betting Dime, called the Texas game a wakeup call for the defense.
“I think it just goes back to our preparation,” Anderson said during the Vanderbilt post-game presser, according to Katie Windham of Sports Illustrated’s BamaCentral. “The Texas game happened, and after that, the team really had to wake up and be like, ‘What type of team do we want to be, especially starting SEC play?’ And I think the defense just took initiative to be a fast physical defense.
Next up, the Crimson Tide head to Arkansas, which dropped 10 spots to No. 20 in the AP Top 25 poll released September 26. The Razorbacks lost 23-21 to Texas A&M in Week 4. Alabama remained ranked No. 2 in the nation. The game is 2:30 p.m. Central time on Saturday, October 1.
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Stat Shows How Dominant Alabama Football Defense Has Been in 2022