Alabama’s defense is known for its ability to shut down its opponents’ rushing attacks. Through eight games, the Crimson Tide has held its foes to 78.5 yards per game on the ground, which is the fourth-best total in the nation and leads the Southeastern Conference.

Jonathan Allen (93) leads the UA defense with six sacks this season.

But this season, Alabama has added some extra dimensions to its defensive arsenal, including an improved and dynamic pass rush. The 2015-16 campaign is only eight games in but the Crimson Tide has recorded 27 sacks – four less than its 14-game total from the 2014-15 season.

Fourteen players have registered at least a half sack, showing the depth Alabama possesses along its defensive front. And that depth has allowed defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to utilize younger edge rushers like Tim Williams and Rashaan Evans and, in turn, give senior linebacker Reggie Ragland, who leads UA in tackles, a much-needed breather on third down.

“We’ve had some good teams around here before that were good defensive teams that we haven’t been able to do that,” Nick Saban said. “I think that’s important. And it’s been very helpful this year in terms of the kind of pass rush that we get and how you’ve been able to effect the quarterback and have not had to pressure nearly as much as what we’ve done in the past.”

The Crimson Tide has averaged 3.38 sacks per game up to this point, which is the sixth-best average in the entire country. It is also the highest average by a Saban-coached Alabama team. The 2012 defense tallied the second-highest average with 2.5 sacks per contest.

Defensive end Jonathan Allen leads the Crimson Tide defense with six sacks in eight games, while Williams has posted 3.5 from his outside linebacker position. But none of the sacks received the same uproar as Ryan Anderson’s strip sack of Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the waning minutes of the game. That one sealed a 19-14 victory for Alabama.

There’s just something different about this year’s defensive front, as defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson pointed out. He said, and it’s true, that the pass rush has benefited the whole defense.

“I think this is one of the better pass rushes, defensively, we’ve had,” Tomlinson said. “It has a huge impact because the more we can affect the quarterback – like the DBs are now getting a lot of interceptions or tipped balls or pass breakups. It’s just because I feel like we can affect the quarterback a lot more.”

But what has been the difference?

Ryan Anderson records a sack vs. Vols.

“I feel like we keep outside leverage and we’ve been focusing on collapsing the pocket a lot better,” Tomlinson said. “I feel like we collapse the pocket a lot more than we used to do.”

And indeed the Crimson Tide has disrupted the pocket. The sacks stand out, of course, but the defense has also compiled 41 quarterback hurries and 50 pass breakups, 28 of which have been batted down at the line of scrimmage. Tomlinson leads the defensive front with six breakups.

But the promotion of Tosh Lupoi as the team’s outside linebackers coach has also provided a jolt in terms of pressure.

“I think Tosh has been a really positive addition to our staff in a lot of ways,” Saban said. “He’s really positive, upbeat, the players like him, he has a lot of energy. He’s been a defensive line coach and one of the things he’s spent a lot of time on is pass rush, and improving pass rush. I think he and Bo (Davis) work well together and that’s helped our edge rushers a little bit.

“It’s also helped us have some new ideas about the way we go about how we play third down and how we pressure people, which has been beneficial to us to this point. So he’s made a very positive impact with on all of the players we have who rush from the outside.”

Lupoi, as many players have said, has brought a lot of energy to the program, especially out on the practice field. Senior outside linebacker Denzel Devall said everything Lupoi says, including his favorite phrase “Gimme some juice, gimme some juice,” is loud.

“Coach Tosh is an up-tempo guy,” Devall said. “He will always get you going, no matter what or how you feel. It has been an advantage for us because we been working on moves and stuff that we haven’t worked in the past and it’s just been a positive.”

Alabama’s defensive front has been extremely consistent in affecting opposing quarterbacks this year, and that consistency has rippled to benefit the rest of the defense, especially the secondary. The Crimson Tide has intercepted 12 passes and returned four of them for touchdowns.

The defense has transformed into a complete defense, and that all starts with the guys up front. And they will be the driving force in trying to slow down an LSU offense and the nation’s top running back in Leonard Fournette. Their teammates know they’re up for the challenge.

“It helps a lot for every defense to have a great pass rush because it helps out with basically anything on defense,” free safety Geno Smith said. “So it’s been a big help this year.”

“… The whole defensive line is very talented, from the inside to the outside.”

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