In a moment of candor, Nick Saban on a midseason radio show appearance admitted he'd never seen anything like Alabama's linebacker injury outbreak.

Never before had he had one positional group take one devastating injury after another quite like these Crimson Tide linebackers. It only got worse from there when senior starter Shaun Dion Hamilton was lost for the year in November. Then on Monday, new starter Dylan Moses was lost for an "indefinite" period with a foot injury.

In all, seven linebackers who were starters or major contributors missed games because of injury.

As a defense, 35 games were lost to injury by players who appeared on the opening day depth chart. That doesn't include reserve defensive end LaBryan Ray (two missed games) or Moses (one missed game for a previous injury).

A year ago, Alabama's generational defense through 12 games had just four missed starts from the preseason depth chart. All four belonged to safety Eddie Jackson who broke his leg in October. Of course, Hamilton was then lost for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in the SEC title game win over Florida.

Even so, the health issues of 2016 would blush at the 2017 situation.

Only three defensive players started every game this season when seven did so in the regular season a year ago.

"It didn't change the way we played at all," said Minkah Fitzpatrick, the All-American safety who was slowed by a hamstring injury throughout November. "We ran our regular calls, our regular coverages, our regular pressures and stuff like that. We just had different people in there doing it. That was it, really."

Alabama's Sugar Bowl opponent has had a few costly injuries in its title defense. Kicker Greg Huegel was lost for the season with an early-season ACL injury suffered in practice. Cornerback Marcus Edmond missed most of the season with a foot sprain while corner Mark Fields hasn't played since mid-October.

Alabama's injury bug bit almost instantly.

Outside Terrell Lewis and Christian Miller, the top prospects to replace NFL pass rushers Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson, went down opening night with what appeared to be season-ending injuries. They were able to rehab and recover to return for the Nov. 25 Iron Bowl and are expected to play in the Sugar Bowl.

Anfernee Jennings, also a starter at outside linebacker against Florida State, was out two games with an ankle injury against the Seminoles. The fourth linebacker hurt that night was Rashaan Evans. The senior middle linebacker was out the next two games with an injured groin.

"I've experienced so many injuries, man," Evans said this week. "It's kind of like something you can't really think about. All you can do is just take advantage of the plays that you do have, give it your all and whatever happens, happens."

The thinned depth chart certainly played a role in the diminished results from Alabama's defense later in the season. The last three SEC opponents averaged 20 points after the first five managed just 7.6 a game.

Of course, there were other factors in the regression. But the absence of Hamilton and Wilson in the middle of the defense was not insignificant at Mississippi State and in parts of the loss at Auburn.

Moses was the leading tackler at Auburn, but he's out for Clemson. That leaves Evans, a recovering Wilson, Keith Holcombe and Joshua McMillon on the depth chart at middle linebacker for No. 1 Clemson.

After the moment of reflection about Alabama's linebacker injury situation, Saban moved more into the coaching mode. Later asked about it, he said it didn't help to dwell on the situation and it couldn't be used as an excuse.

The message filtered into his locker room.

"Just in that situation," Evans said this week, "it's something you can't control, it's just something you've got to kind of just live with. And for us, all we can do right now is just do all the little things and get prepared for this game and just worry about what we can control."

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande.