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The sack attack is officially back: Alabama’s pass rush continues to excel
By Clint Lamb
Published:
Nick Saban and the rest of the defensive coaching staff had quite the task coming into this season.
They had to replace an elite group of sack artists who had become as instrumental to Alabama’s success.
Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson were responsible for a whopping 52.8-percent (28.5 of 54) of the Tide’s sack production in 2016. Surprisingly, 2015 saw them account for even more — 54.8-percent (28.5 of 52).
Alabama averaged 3.89 sacks vs. SEC teams in 2016. This group started slower, but it’s averaging 3.6 sacks against the SEC.
That level of contribution helped all three get drafted, but it also left a huge void for Alabama’s defense — or, so we thought.
At some point, we have to stop questioning the Tide’s ability to reload.
Yes, the 2017 season got off to a rocky start, as the Tide only managed 5 sacks through the first 4 games — an average of 1.25 per game. If you extrapolate that over 15 games — the number of games played in 2016 — it would only equate to 18.75 sacks for the entire season.
In other words, Alabama’s pass rush couldn’t have been much worse to start the season.
That hasn’t been the case since the Tide took the field against Ole Miss in Week 5, however.
Over the past five games, the defense has been on an absolute tear. It has posted 24 sacks, including 6 against LSU in Saturday night’s 24-10 victory.
To put that into perspective, that means that 82.8-percent of their sacks have been earned against their past five opponents. Oh, and that 15-game pace? It’s now at 48.3 sacks, and would’ve been at 72 if Alabama could’ve averaged the 4.8 sacks that they have in the last five games over the course of a 15-game season.
Sophomore defensive lineman Raekwon Davis leads the way, as he has had at least one sack in five straight games — bringing his season total to 6.5. The 6-7, 306-pound monster hasn’t just made an impact getting after the quarterback, however. He was second on the team in tackles against LSU with 9.
Davis wasn’t the only one who shined defensively against the Tigers, either.
Dylan Moses — a true freshman who has shown the versatility to play both inside and outside linebacker — stepped up when his number was called. He led the team in sacks with 1.5, which were the first of the season for him.
Sack! Alabama LB Dylan Moses #BamavsLsu pic.twitter.com/kgvvC4Tyk6
— InsideBamaRecruiting (@RTRnews) November 5, 2017
The above play was Moses’ solo sack where he showed off impressive burst on the inside stunt.
As effective as the former 5-star has been in a limited role lining up on the edge, we could see him used more at inside linebacker now that it’s been announced that inside linebackers Shaun Dion Hamilton and Mack Wilson could miss the rest of the year due to injuries.
Either way, there’s little doubt that Moses’ role on defense is going to continue to increase — whether that’s at inside linebacker or on the edge — as the season progresses.
Moses’ 1.5-sack contribution against the Tigers — in addition to the ones from Davis and redshirt freshman Quinnen Williams — raises the total to 11 sacks from first or second-year players on defense, which is 37.9-percent of the team’s 29.
That’s a significant increase from the 6.5-percent (3.5 out of 54) that came from first and second-year players in 2016.
On the other hand, the amount of sacks coming from non-traditional pass rushers (defensive backs and off-ball linebackers) has more than doubled — going from 15.7-percent in 2016 to 32.8-percent in 2017 — but that just means that defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt is finding more creative ways to get pressure on the quarterback.
Guys like Davis, Rashaan Evans and Isaiah Buggs might not be quite on the same level — when it comes to getting after the quarterback — as Allen, Williams and Anderson, but they are certainly getting there.
This defense is going to continue to get tougher and tougher to handle as the final stretch of the season approaches. Well, it will as long as the injuries don’t continue to pile up like they have been.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
