Nick Saban explains what makes this Alabama defense so difficult to score against

On3 imageby:Barkley Truax•09/25/22•

BarkleyTruax

Through four games, the Alabama defense has given up two touchdowns and five field goals for a total of 29 points against the opposition this season. With 19 of those points coming in one game vs. Texas two weeks ago, teams haven’t figured out how to score on this year’s Crimson Tide squad.

After defeating Vanderbilt 55-3 Saturday, head coach Nick Saban discussed what makes his defense so hard to score against, and what’s different from year’s prior.

“We haven’t given up a lot of explosive plays. We’ve played pretty well in the red area,” Saban said after the win. “I think this group plays really well together as a group. The front seven and the back end are tied together for the most part. We’ve got experienced players at linebacker and in the secondary at safety, and I think that’s very helpful.

“The one thing we haven’t done is created a lot of turnovers, which is something we keep harping on all the time. I’ll take this kind of defense without turnovers, but I’d like to see us get more turnovers and win the turnover battle in games. I think it’s very significant in winning and losing.”

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As a defense, Alabama has only created one interception all season – tied with Texas A&M and Vanderbilt for the worst mark in the SEC and have only forced one fumble to add to that total, which didn’t come until Week 4’s game vs. Vanderbilt. They make up for it in just about every other category, though.

Alabama ranks No. 3 in the conference with 12 sacks, trialing Ole Miss (13) and the Crimson Tide’s Week 5 opponent Arkansas (20). Star linebacker Will Anderson – who is responsible for the Tide’s lone interception (a pick six vs. ULM) – ranks third in the SEC with five total sacks individually.

The Crimson Tide’s defense has seen the field on 53 separate drives this year, and have forced 37 punts (70 percent) out of those tries. Certainly one way to get the ball back without causing a turnover.