ORLANDO, Fla. -- Pete Golding’s first year as defensive coordinator is coming to a close.

Under Golding in 2019, Alabama’s defense ranks third in the SEC in passing defense (183.4 yards per game), fourth in total defense (318.5 ypg), fifth in scoring defense (18.8 points per game) and seventh in rushing defense (135.08 ypg). Those aren’t the type of statistics usually tied to the Crimson Tide defense at this point in the season in the Nick Saban era.

But in his first season as the defensive play-caller, Golding was dealt “a really, really difficult situation” before the first game even kicked off, losing his two most-experienced inside linebackers in Dylan Moses and Joshua McMillon to season-ending knee injuries. That led to two true freshmen starting at Mike and Will linebacker in Shane Lee and Christian Harris.

In his first press conference since early August, Golding was asked about the challenges he and the players have faced this year and how much he has learned about himself during it.

“You’re at Alabama, so I think you’re coaching some of the best players in the country with some of the best staff in the country for the best coach in the country. So, I think it’s not as bad as people think it is,” Golding said alongside safety Xavier McKinney at the Rosen Plaza Hotel.

“Obviously, those two freshmen that came in are really good players. I think the struggle, obviously, for any young player in any system coming into college football as a freshman is adjusting to the speed of the game. And I think as many shifts and motions and things like that that they see, when the picture changes, those guys having to make a call in a split second and all 11 guys are waiting on them to make their call because their the signal-caller of the defense, I think that was a struggle early for them.

“But I think both those guys in the middle of our defense love football. They’re extremely smart. They prepare the right way. … But they’re in there all the time, and I think they got better throughout the year. They had their growing pains, I had my growing pains. It wasn’t always perfect, by any means. But it was the situation that we were put it. But I’m extremely proud of how they handled themselves and the preparation they’ve put forward.”

Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding

Golding, Lee and Harris are all still in their first full seasons at the respective positions, with the pair of freshman linebackers maintaining their starting spots from Game 1 to Game 13.

In his second and final media availability of the season, the defensive coordinator was asked what outsiders to the program do not understand about the process of teaching inexperienced players how to quarterback a defense with Golding having no examples around them.

“A lot of programs play freshmen,” Golding said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the position that they’re playing and who’s around them. I think it’s a unique deal this year that you lost two guys at the same position to where you have two 18-year olds that have never been in the system side by side, and I think a lot of times, they’re looking for confirmation and are looking for confirmation in the guy beside them that doesn’t really know either. And I think that’s been the big difference in the past.

“It’s not like freshmen haven’t played at the University of Alabama or freshmen won’t play at every other school in the country. That happens, it’s going to happen. But I think the big thing, the big difference is that guy having to make the call, set the front, set the blitzes and then having validation beside him to where if he second-guesses himself, ‘No, it’s Ringo, Ringo, Ringo. Ralph, Ralph, Ralph,’ just to confirm what he was thinking. I think that was probably the difference this year of having two 18-year-old kids side by side in the middle of your defense that are responsible for making the calls.

“So, I think that was the unique part of it to where you can look across the board -- you can play freshmen. Alabama’s going to play freshmen. We’re going to have great juniors go out to the draft, that’s going to happen. So, you have to replace those guys and develop the bottom of your roster. But it’s unique in those guys have to be the signal-caller and being side by side. I think that was kind of the difference.”

How has Golding grown from the challenges presented to him and his defense this fall?

“I think it’s always tough as a coach,” Golding said. “I think, obviously, when you prepare and you’re seeing what the opponent does and you’re trying to take away their bread and butter and obviously give them different looks and all those things to take away some of their top plays, I think you’ve got to be careful of asking your guys to do something that they maybe can’t do.

Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding

“And I think at times, as coaches, we always want the answer and we always the chalk last, and schematically on the board, we want to look like we’ve got the extra guy or we’re fitting this the right way. And I think at times, we put too much on those guys to where they’re thinking instead of reacting, and I think especially for young football players, it’s get lined up, set the front, keep the coverage obviously the same and be able to adjust out of what you’re in helps those guys.

“I think sometimes as coaches, we can think too much and think we’re too damn smart at times and then try to put them in certain situations to where they start changing their picture and we change the coverage because it’s what’s best to do. However, if you can’t execute it, it doesn’t matter the call. We’ve got to be able to execute, obviously, the call, whatever we call. But I think the big thing is obviously trying to keep it simple, however, be sound and be multiple because I think we’ve got good offensive coordinators, good quarterbacks.

“So, if they know what you’re going to be in, obviously, they have a play designed to beat it. So, I think obviously for us, from a picture standpoint, having the ability to change the picture but it keep it simple for our guys where the rules stay consistent and they can play fast, I think obviously that was something throughout the year that we kind of improved of but we’ve still got to get a lot better at.”

Golding’s next task will be to slow down Michigan’s offense in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.

Facing a Wolverine offense that ranks fourth in the Big Ten in passing offense (252.3 ypg), and like everyone else in the Tide program, Golding wants to finish the season the right way.

“We’ve had a great week of preparation in Tuscaloosa prior to Christmas, and then the kids got three days off for Christmas and they’ve been working extremely hard since we’ve been here,” Golding said. “So, I think it’s a great opportunity, especially defensively, to end the year on the right note. Obviously, we’ve had a lot of young players that are playing for us that we think have progressed throughout the year. So, I think it’s very important for us to finish this year on the right note, play extremely hard and play to the standard of Alabama football.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).