Crimson Tide Defense Affecting the Quarterback
9/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
It was one of those times in which the defensive statistic most people looked to first didn't tell the story.
During Alabama's 52-12 victory over Southern Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, the Crimson Tide did more than just hound Golden Eagles quarterback Nick Mullens.
Thanks to a potent pass rush they hit him, harassed him and did everything that they could to make his night a living nightmare. He still completed 19 of 35 passes for 267 yards, but more often than not paid for it and the Golden Eagles never reached the end zone.
"I thought our front guys did a good job, put pressure on him," Coach Nick Saban said. "We have a lot of guys who can rush."
So Alabama having just one sack, that's not the number fans should be looking at because the defense's primary goal is to affect the quarterback and force a negative outcome.
The team's success was better reflected in quarterback hurries. Led by senior linebacker Xzavier Dickson with three, the Crimson Tide had 10, shared by six players. Its season total is 11.
"I don't even know what to say, they were getting after it, for real," impressed weakside linebacker Trey Depriest said. "I guess they were hungry. I guess they feel like they didn't get enough last week.
"There was an emphasis, but there's always an emphasis so I don't really know what turned them up. I'm glad it did."
Sophomore defensive lineman Davlin Tomlinson's explanation was that the players heard people saying Alabama didn't have much of a pass rush this season. They took exception.
"We just got hyped up, energized and excited about the game," he said. "After the first pressure on the quarterback we all just starting feeling it and started going at it."
When coaches put this group together this was sort of what they had in mind, an deep, aggressive unit that would tie up rushing lanes and even on the quick passes still find a way to get in the quarterback's face without having to blitz much. It would also go at him in waves.
It didn't quite do that, though, the first two games. Before Saturday if sophomore defensive end Jonathan Allen had given the pass rush a grade it would have been a "B" - not great, but also not bad given the limited opportunities.
Specifically, roughly half of the passes the Crimson Tide saw from West Virginia and Florida Atlantic were screens and other fast-tempo short passes designed to get the defense on its heals. One byproduct was that it made it extremely difficult affect the quarterback that quickly.
"When they're throwing fast, get your hands up," Allen said. "If they throw a screen, you have to retrace. That's what really defeats the screen is when the linemen retrace and run to the ball. That'll really take away from the screen. So our job's just beginning as soon as he throws the ball."
One thing that defensive coordinator Kirby Smart had to be especially careful about in those situations was blitzing, because should a receiver get the ball in the hole created by the charging player it could result in a big gain.
However, a big advantage for Alabama this season is its line depth and the variety of talent it can draw upon.
For the season opener Alabama traveled with 12 defensive linemen, which Saban believed was his most ever, but not all played. With sophomores Korren Kirven and Dee Liner and freshman Josh Frazier making their first appearances a week later, and junior nose guard Darren Lake first playing against USM the Crimson Tide has used 11.
Additionally, sophomore linebacker Tim Williams saw his first game action of the season as a pass-rusher against Florida Atlantic, and along with true freshman Rashaan Evans turned a lot of heads with his burst off the line.
"I mean you can see it in the game what he did," senior right tackle Austin Shepherd said about Evans. "Imagine having to block that off the edge. He can jump the snap count so fast that you have to be on your A-game and on point or what happened in the game is going to happen in practice. And it's happened. He's just really good, and he's definitely a good asset."
Overall, Alabama has seven sacks through three games for an average of 2.33 per game.
Linebackers Xzavier Dickson and Ryan Anderson lead the Crimson Tide with two each. Dickson had both of his against West Virginia, while Anderson, who junior linebacker Reggie Ragland calls the "Dark horse of the defense" due to his work ethic, has had one in each of the last two games.
Allen, who leads the team with four tackles for a loss, Ragland and Evans have all have one, but even more telling may be the list of player who have yet to notch a sack because it includes all three returning players who had more than one last season: A'Shawn Robinson (5.5), Denzel Devall (3.0) or DePriest (2.0).
Alabama notched just 22 sacks in 2013, which ranked 86th in the nation despite the defense finishing fifth in total defense. It's also the fewest for the Crimson Tide since Nick Saban arrived in 2007 (when it had 24).
With the return of Bo Davis as defensive line coach, one of the goals has been to be closer to the top of that list. Alabama had 35 in 2012, and at least 30 during its three recent national championships.
"They all have different moves," Shepherd said. "A'Shawn Robinson's a huge dude, who can bull-rush. Jonathan Allen, quick hands. D.J. Pettway, fast off the edge. I could go on forever. They all have something different that you have to be aware of."
