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Defensive, special-teams touchdowns augmenting Alabama offense
By John Crist
Published:
Defending national champion Alabama is first in the SEC in scoring offense, averaging an even 44 points per game.
However, the term “scoring offense” is a bit of a misnomer as far as the Crimson Tide are concerned. While their offense has indeed been very good, an awful lot of scoring has occurred with those 11 players on the sideline.
In all five games this season, ‘Bama has recorded at least one touchdown on defense or special teams — including one each in a 48-43 win at Ole Miss in Week 3. That’s six additional TDs and 42 extra points, which equates to 8.4 non-offensive points per game or 19.1 percent of the Tide’s total scoring output.
Ronnie Harrison’s 55-yard fumble-return touchdown in the second quarter Saturday vs. Kentucky helped turn a slow start into a 34-6 blowout.
“We wanted to attack the ball, especially on the quarterback,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters after the game. “I thought he was a little loose with the ball. I thought the players did a good job of noticing that today, and that was certainly a big play in the game because we were struggling a little bit on offense. The score was 10-3 and they were hanging in the game, so that was a big momentum swing for us.”
Once the Crimson Tide get a multiple-score lead, that’s when they unleash their special blend of hell on the opponent. On offense, the running game bleeds the clock. Defensively, the pass rushers make a bee line for the quarterback.
Joshua Jacobs, the primary ball carrier with both Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough nursing minor injuries, ran for 100 yards and a TD on 16 carries against the Wildcats. ‘Bama was credited with four sacks of QB Stephen Johnson, who also fumbled three times — Saban’s assessment of him on tape was clearly correct — and lost two of them.
Turnovers can sometimes be random. A little bit of luck is involved. Taking the ball away can be taught, though.
“That’s what we work on — trying to strip the ball out — every day in practice, and that will be something that we can show the other players,” Saban (above) said. “When you do it correctly, you certainly have a chance to get the kind of consequences that you like and get the ball out.”
Offensively, the Tide don’t need that much help. They’re fourth in the conference in rushing offense and passing offense, which works out to fifth overall in total offense. It’s a very balanced attack.
On the ground, there isn’t a dominant presence commanding 25-30 touches every week — that was Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry a year ago. But Harris and Jacobs are averaging 8.5 and 7.4 yards per carry, respectively, which has masked Scarbrough’s disappointing 3.5. Quarterback Jalen Hurts averages 5.1 himself.
Through the air, the true freshman Hurts continues to show improvement and hasn’t been intercepted in a month.
Since the season opener, when he shined off the bench in a 52-6 thrashing of USC, Hurts has hit on at least 60.6 percent of his passes in four consecutive games and assembled a flawless TD-to-INT ratio of 5-to-0.
ArDarius Stewart — a member of my All-Underrated Team — was his favorite target early in the year, catching 9 passes for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns the first two games. With Stewart now out due to a concussion, Calvin Ridley is once again the primary weapon. He exploded in Week 5 with 11 receptions, 174 yards and a pair of scores.
Nevertheless, Alabama has really put the pedal to the metal from a scoring perspective with Hurts and Co. on the bench.
Up just 10-3 in the second quarter against USC, cornerback Marlon Humphrey (below) returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown. The Crimson Tide went to the locker room up 17-3 and then turned on the afterburners in the second half.
In the home opener against Western Kentucky, ‘Bama traded field goals with the Hilltoppers early and didn’t score a TD until the final play of the first quarter. Leading 10-3 in the second and spinning its wheels a bit offensively, safety Eddie Jackson returned an INT 55 yards to paydirt and extended the lead to 17-3.
Trailing Ole Miss 24-10, Jackson’s 85-yard punt-return score with 1:05 left in the second quarter made it a one-possession game at halftime, 24-17.
Later against the Rebels, defensive end Jonathan Allen caught a Chad Kelly fumble in midair and rumbled 75 yards for a touchdown. He pushed the Tide’s advantage to 48-30. With a 48-43 final score, Allen’s TD was the difference.
Naturally, Alabama was never threatened by Kent State — Saban’s alma mater. Already up 34-0 in the second quarter, Xavian Marks took a punt 75 yards to the house for a 41-0 lead at intermission. And then this past Saturday, Harrison’s fumble-return TD against Kentucky turned a one-score game into two scores.
Defensive and special-teams touchdowns are supposed to be gravy. ‘Bama can practically count on them at this point. They’ve scored at least one in seven consecutive games, a streak Cyrus Jones started with a punt return for a TD against Michigan State in last year’s playoff semifinal.
The Tide are entering the meat of their schedule. They face three ranked league opponents the next three weeks, beginning with No. 16 Arkansas in Fayetteville on Saturday. The Hogs are a better-than-expected 4-1.
We know Alabama will feature a suffocating defense so long as Saban makes his home in Tuscaloosa. First in the SEC against the run, second against the pass, second in fewest yards allowed, second in fewest points allowed — not much has changed. The offense is catching up, led by Hurts and his dual-threat abilities.
But if the Crimson Tide can bank on an additional 8.4 points with defense and special teams alone, they might be better than ever.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
John Crist is an award-winning contributor to Saturday Down South.
