Who knows what goes on in the middle of the offensive line in the heat of battle? The adage has it that only parents and girlfriends are likely to see what a guard or center does, and tackles only get noticed when they’ve whiffed a block and yelled “Olé” to the quarterback.

Those offensive linemen have the responsibility of protecting quarterbacks on pass plays, opening up holes for running backs on rushes.

Making their lives miserable are elite defensive linemen (and sometimes linebackers and defensive backs). Among the most elite of those is third-year Alabama sophomore Quinnen Williams.

Jonah Williams, Bama’s left tackle and considered by many to be the best offensive lineman in the nation, doesn’t have to go up against Quinnen Williams in practice, but he knows about “Q.”

“I think we’re honestly a little relieved as an O-Line,” Williams said. “We’re like, ‘Okay, no one else can block him either.’

“You’ve got an almost 300-pound bar of soap that’s pushing past you and you just can’t get ahold of him.”

Quinnen Williams is a big man (6-4, 289) who had big shoes to fill this year, part of a Crimson Tide defense that is almost all new from last season. DaRon Payne, who held that nose tackle spot for the 2017 national champions, moved on to the Washington Redskins as the 13th player taken in the NFL draft.

Williams does have veterans alongside, returning starting ends Raekwon Davis and Isaiah Buggs. All have played well, but Williams is probably a surprise as the leading tackler among the three. After getting in on four tackles against Tennessee, including one for loss, and having a quarterback pressure, Williams ranks fifth for Bama’s defense getting in on 33 tackles, 8 ½ for 30 yards in losses, a sack, and 6 quarterback pressures. He’s behind safeties Deionte Thompson and Xavier McKinney and inside linebackers Dylan Moses and Mack Wilson – the men who are supposed to make tackles when the nose gets his job done.

(Incidentally, Williams said he didn’t smoke a cigar following the win over Tennessee. “I kept it as a souvenir,” he said.)

Quinnen Williams operating in Tennessee backfield

“I think pushing the pocket inside is really important,” said Alabama Coach Nick Saban. “I think Quinnen is really good at that and has been a real positive for our defense. Pushing the pocket and defending the middle of the field is philosophically what we try to do.”

"Right now, in college football, it's really like quick passes,” Williams said. “The quickest way to an object is a straight line, so if you're in the nose and you go straight to the quarterback, that's the quickest way. That's why I think a lot of coaches love a defensive tackle who can pass rush and also stop the run."

Jonah Williams said Quinnen “has been working really hard on perfecting his technique and kind of honing his craft, so it’s good to see him out there having that success on the field.

“He’s strong. He plays with good leverage, low center of gravity. He’s really good with his hands. I know that that was one thing that he said he talked to (Daron) Payne and Dalvin (Tomlinson), some of the great D-linemen we’ve had here, and kind of learned about how to work his hands.”

McKinney, who sees the work of the nose tackle, said, “He creates trouble for a lot of people. He’s a great defensive lineman. [We’re] happy with what he’s doing and how he’s affecting the quarterback and making tackles.”

And Q is attracting attention.

“I get double-teamed a lot more than I get single-teamed now that I’ve been playing good,” he said.

The next task for Williams and his teammates is a week from Saturday, Nov. 3, against LSU in Baton Rouge, a battle of No. 1 Alabama against the No. 5 Tigers. Bama is 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference. LSU is 6-1 overall and 4-1 in league play.

Both teams have an open date this weekend.

Williams thinks the bye week comes at a good time.

“It’s a week we can go in and get a lot of rest, prepare for our next game, and look back at all our mistakes and mental errors we collected as a defense (in the first eight games of the year). Mistakes and mental errors. You can go into a game, be the top team in the country, and lose to an average team like that. That's why we really focus on the mistakes and mental errors this bye week.”

He said film study is important as he expects to review “every game, every big play we gave up in each game, every recap of the yardage. Basically, everything.”