Alabama’s defense didn’t get off to the best start in the 2020 season. In its third game, the Crimson Tide gave up 647 total yards in a 63-48 victory over Ole Miss, a game they only won because of their impressive offensive showing.

However, Alabama performed much better defensively after that. Over its following seven games, the Crimson Tide allowed no more than 24 points, and it gave up 17 or fewer points in the final six games of that stretch. During that time, they shut out Mississippi State and held Kentucky to three points.

Although Alabama allowed 46 points in its SEC Championship Game victory over Florida, its defense still played better for the majority of the season than it seemed like it might early in the year. And according to Tide defensive coordinator Pete Golding, that’s because they got better at executing the game plan that they had prepared throughout the week.

“I thought that was the one thing coming out of that [Ole Miss] game, like, look, 70 percent of the game, this is exactly what we prepared for, we knew what was coming,” Golding told the media on Monday, including Charlie Potter of 247Sports.com. “Here’s the clips from practice, we worked it. We didn’t get it done. Why? And I think we go back and look at it from a preparation standpoint, from a practice standpoint, right? Certain calls. Were they too hard? Were there too many checks and addendums to it to be able to simplify it let the guys play?

“Obviously at that point either you can tackle or you can’t. And we work it every day. There’s a little part of that want-to obviously of getting better and understanding the significance of it. And if we’re going to be a good defense we’ve got to be able to do that. I think it was a good thing. Obviously looking back on it, you don’t want to take it, a game like that. There’s a good football team you could have easily lost that game, and we wouldn’t be in the same situation we’re in. We try to get guys to understand, ‘Hey, this is what we’ll try to teach you on a day-to-day basis so you don’t put yourself in that same situation.'”

Alabama’s defense was in those situations a lot less after that, so it appeared that ended up working for the unit.

Now, the Crimson Tide are preparing to face Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup. And the Fighting Irish have a strong quarterback in Ian Book who the Tide will be looking to stop.

Alabama and Notre Dame will kick off on Friday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.