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Malachi Moore shares how Alabama’s defense has gotten better over past 2 weeks
By Jake Rill
Published:
In 2020, Alabama allowed 48 points and 647 total yards in its win over Ole Miss. When the SEC rivals met this year, the Crimson Tide held the Rebels to 21 points and 291 total yards.
Neither team was the exact same, but it’s still a clear sign of improvement for Alabama’s defense.
With how well the Crimson Tide’s offense has been playing, the defense has had a larger margin for error. However, that hasn’t stopped it from showing continual improvement, something that sophomore Malachi Moore has noticed since Alabama’s 31-29 win over Florida on Sept. 18.
“We’ve been better at communicating in loud environments, that’s been an emphasis in practice,” Moore told reporters, including Charlie Potter of 247Sports.com. “And I just think we have to continue to play for 4 quarters. We really haven’t done that this year, but I feel like that’s our main goal and to communicate better in a tough environment.”
Moore has been a key part of the Tide’s defensive improvement. He earned a starting job as a true freshman in 2020, then had 44 tackles and 3 interceptions in 11 games. This season, he has 7 tackles and an interception during Alabama’s 5-0 start.
How did Moore get acclimated to the college game so fast?
“I had to be mature a lot and focus in and prepare like a veteran,” Moore told reporters. “And I think that was the biggest thing for me because first college game and first college season, you don’t know what to expect in an atmosphere like that, and even though we didn’t have the fans that we do this year, it still was new to me just because it was college football. So I think just being on top of the playbook really helped me last year.”
Moore and Alabama’s defense will look to keep getting better this Saturday, when the Crimson Tide go on the road to face Texas A&M at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
