Should we be concerned with Alabama’s defense? Paul Finebaum weighs in
By Keith Farner
Published:
Nick Saban was among those concerned about Alabama’s defense following a lopsided win over Arkansas, 65-31. But if you ask Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network, he’s not worried.
“I am not, because as long as you have, who is going to outscore you?,” Finebaum said in his regular weekly appearance on WJOX. “That’s not what Nick Saban wants, and that’s not what Alabama fans are used to. But when you get into these types of games that defy logic, then dimensions change.”
Alabama is averaging 56 points per game, and the Arkansas win was the second time in conference play where the Crimson Tide topped 60 points. Still, Alabama is sixth in the SEC and 11th in the country in scoring defense, but leads the nation in scoring offense. Alabama is averaging nearly 14 points more than the next closest SEC team, Georgia, which is averaging 42.8 points per game.
It’s been well-documented how young the Alabama secondary is, and what the Crimson Tide lost after last season to the NFL, for example. But in Finebaum’s mind, that can only be weighed in light of the strong Alabama offense, which may go down as one of the best in the program’s rich history.
“If you’re a defensive coordinator and it’s like an LSU-Florida game or an LSU-Auburn game and you know 21 is probably going to win the game, then mentally you gear in. If you’re on the Alabama defensive side, you can give up 55 points and still win every game, can’t you? … This isn’t going to rank with the best Alabama defenses of all-time, but it is going to rank with the great Alabama offenses of all-time.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
