Along the way to a 7-0 start that is conventional by Alabama standards, the Crimson Tide has defied expectations.

Shaun Dion Hamilton and Ronnie Harrison have more sacks than any of the team's outside linebackers.

And defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick has more tackles for loss than all but two of the team's front-seven players.

What gives?

Speaking for himself, Hamilton said, "[It's] probably because the defensive coordinator is our position coach, so he puts us in position to make plays more than them."

Hamilton was joking, of course.

But there was a grain of truth in his comment.

Jeremy Pruitt oversees the inside linebackers, who have become versatile cogs in a defense that has had to adjust after edge-rushers Terrell Lewis and Christian Miller went down with long-term injuries in the season opener.

Pruitt has dialed up his share of blitzes to compensate for the personnel losses at outside linebacker -- sending Harrison, Fitzpatrick, Hamilton and a host of others to invade the opponent's pocket.

Last season, Pruitt didn't have to do that. Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson -- Alabama's designated pressure players -- appeared in all 15 games and each collected nine sacks, contibuting a third of Alabama's season total that led the nation.

"Look, I want anybody that can affect the quarterback to affect the quarterback," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "It doesn't matter to me who it is. I don't think we've done a great job of that on a consistent basis. We've had too many guys running around on us. We haven't controlled the quarterback. We have, at times, put pretty good pressure on him and affected him. And we, I guess, got a fair amount of sacks."

The Crimson Tide picked up five of them in Alabama's 41-9 victory over Arkansas.

Yet not a single outside linebacker contributed to that total, which is surprising considering Anfernee Jennings led the team with 11 pressures.

Jennings plays on the edge. On occasion, so too does Rashaan Evans, an inside linebacker. Evans, who missed two games because of a groin injury, had his best performance of 2017 last Saturday -- forcing a fumble, recording 3.5 tackles for loss and producing two sacks.

He figures to be a key contributor to Alabama's pass rush going forward.

"I feel like we are finally starting to gel," he said. "I feel like guys are now starting to get in the groove now. Once we get into our zone, I feel it's going to be very hard for us to get stopped."

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin