Film Study: Alabama will ride defensive dominance to final four

Heavy is the head that wears the crown; it’s funny how the narrative tends to change at the drop of a dime when you’re perennially the best.

For the now 6-1 Alabama Crimson Tide, a razor-thin loss to an extremely formidable Ole Miss Rebels squad, coupled with a 14-13 victory over the the University of Arkansas, provided critics and pundits alike with the necessary ammunition to proclaim the Tide’s dynasty to be in full-on collapse mode.

A far cry from two weeks prior when Bama was the toast of the town after a 42-21 domination of the University of Florida — where everything seemed to be in sync.

The chatter, centered mostly around quarterback Blake Sims and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, will be quieted down (at least for a week) after Alabama took the Texas A&M Aggies out behind the woodshed and delivered a thoroughly convincing 59-0 butt-whipping in Tuscaloosa.

While the rhetoric may change on a weekly basis, in regard to Sims and the offense, one thing has remained constant: The Alabama defense is playing as well as its ever played under head coach Nick Saban.

That’s a scary thought, people. For the rest of the conference, that is.

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One of a few major points of emphasis surrounding the Tide’s disappointing end to the 2013-14 season was if the Tide were riding the correct defensive philosophy to compete with the ever-evolving multiplistic offensive schemes of today.

After all, Texas A&M piled up a mountain of points and yards behind generational quarterback Johnny Manziel, while the University of Auburn snatched a spot in the title game away from Bama behind its innovative spread-to-rush offense.

And when the Oklahoma Sooners put it on the Tide in the Allstate Sugar Bowl (45-31), the whispers grew grew whiskers as many ran with the notion that the game was passing Saban by — which seemed more like wishful thinking, if you ask me.

But all Saban has done is slightly evolve both his recruiting philosophy (personnel wise) and his on-field deployment of said personnel. While previous incarnations of Alabama’s defenses were more of the power variety, this defense has one glaring difference: speed!

Shift In Philosophy

While the defense was previously a 3-4-based outfit — which mixed in even-front principles — it now appears to be a “43” defense that sprinkles in “34” principles. While critics and fans annoyed Saban to the point of a pseudo rant (h/t to 24/7 sports), after the win over Arkansas, the maestro of defense had to be impressed by his unit’s stifling run defense.

The Razorbacks have arguably the most dominant rushing attack in the country — led by two of the very best backs you’ll see: Jonathan Williams (6’0″, 225 lbs) and Alex Collins (5’11”, 215 lbs).

Additionally, the Hogs’ offensive line is aligned with future NFL stars — most notably 6’10”, 316-pound left tackle Dan Skipper and 6’5″, 330-pound guard Denver Kirkland — who work within the most physical pro-style scheme in college football.

Williams and Collins came into the tilt averaging 104 and 124 yards per game, respectively. Against Bama, the Razorbacks didn’t even make it to 90 total rushing yards as a team! In fact, they managed only 89 yards on 39 attempts.

By aligning defensive linemen in gaps, Bama allows them to press the issue in the run game. Conversely, when you go with more of a two-gap approach you put the onus squarely on the linebackers to make plays.

Both approaches have yielded favorable results, but there’s no substitute for getting more and more speed on the field.

Reggie Ragland

When possibly the greatest linebacker in Alabama history (C.J. Mosley) graduated, the story instantly shifted as to how the defense would function without the uber-versatile future NFL defensive rookie of the year.

Alabama did have the benefit of sliding long-time starter Trey DePriest over into Mosley’s weak-side inside linebacker spot, but DePriest is nowhere near the type of athlete as his predecessor.

Don’t get me wrong; DePriest is a solid player with really good instincts. But Mosley’s ability to diagnose, cover, blitz and make splash plays was unparalleled.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Bama has found a new Swiss Army knife at inside linebacker in junior Reggie Ragland. The 6’2″, 254-pound stud has prototypical size for the position, but it’s his uncanny quickness, speed and power that makes him a standout among standouts.

Here see Ragland making a splash play after making a defender look silly in close quarters. You just don’t see guys that big with that type of athleticism. Comparatively speaking, Mosley is listed at 235 pounds, so there’s roughly a 20-pound difference in weight between the two.

Here we see Ragland lined up at a 6-technique — which he certainly has to frame to play — making a highlight-reel interception of Aggie QB Kenny Hill. In what was originally a tackle/end twist, Ragland had the wherewithal to peel back, read Hill’s eyes and high-point the ball for a turnover.

If Ragland decides to come back for his senior season he will be moved into the “Will” spot where he will be freed up to make athletic plays like we were accustomed to seeing Mosley make.

Ton Of Talent On The Edges

Going primarily with a four-man front also allows for more edge-players, or one-gap penetrators, to get on the field. It also means that players like Xzavier Dickson and Ryan Anderson will find themselves moving forward, more, opposed to retreating to drop in coverage.

Coming into the game against the Aggies, Bama had only registered 10 sacks. Well they left with 16 and could’ve had more if they hadn’t have called off the dogs.

Dickson, 6’3″, 268 pounds, has been tough for tackles to deal with on the edges. He’s a powerful player that brings the element of surprise with him in the form of quickness; his 5.5 sacks leads the team.

With three sacks to his credit, the 6’2″, 258-pound Anderson has been a pleasant surprise in this his sophomore season. He’s got the quickest first step on the team, and he’s adept at moving back to the second level and playing an off-the-ball linebacker.

The most talented edge-player, Jonathan Allen, has displayed his unique versatility by playing a 3-technique tackle in pass-rush situations (and in the NASCAR package). At 6’3″, 272 pounds, Allen — who has generated a couple of sacks and a ton of pressure — is large enough to be an interior lineman at the professional level, but his overall athleticism makes him a fit for virtually any scheme.

Freshmen “rocket rushers” Rashaan Evans (6’3″, 225 lbs) and Da’Shawn Hand (6’4″, 273 pounds) have made the most of their limited action by contributing a sack a piece. It won’t be long until they are terrorizing the conference as duo.

When you take into account the amount of talent on the interior — most notably the 6’4″, 320-pound A’Shawn Robinson — you can see why Bama has the most talented defense on the planet.

While I’ve opined that Ole Miss has the most talented starting defense, and it’s proven me right thus far with its No. 1-ranking, it’s the quality of depth that differentiates Alabama, ultimately.

When your secondary has a future top-15 pick (at least) at safety, in the great Landon Collins, it can afford to be a little suspect at corner.

But when you’re able to control the line of scrimmage, you lessen the pressure off your back end. Bama has looked very dominant on defense after a shaky start to the season against the West Virginia Mountaineers — who have since proven to have one of the best offenses in the country.

All the offense has to do is keep the train on the tracks and let the current No. 3-ranked defense (No. 1 against the run) lead the way; for a team in “decline” it sure looks like much of the same to me.