Alabama Won, But Defense Should Have Taken Another Step Against Arkansas
Nick Saban was yelling. The Alabama football coach didn't like the effort, the attention to detail, the execution.
It was only the second quarter, yet he was on redshirt sophomore Terrion Arnold on the sideline even though the defensive back was lining up in different spot from where he had been for the first half of the regular season. With Malachi Moore still out due to an ankle injury, Arnold started against Arkansas at the star position in the nickel package (requiring an extra defensive back), with senior Trey Amos filling in for him at corner.
"He knows I can take the coaching," Arnold told reporters earlier this season.
The Razorbacks wouldn't even manage to accumulate 100 yards while scoring on two field goals in the first half, when it tallied just three first downs. However Alabama still made a change, having Arnold focus solely on playing cornerback, with freshman Caleb Downs sliding over to start in the slot and senior Kristian Story inserted at safety.
Alabama has high standards on the defensive side, and more and more of them are being achieved as the 2023 season progresses, but obviously not all. We've reached the point when one really can't talk about potential any more, either it's being fulfilled or it not, and the numbers can no longer be ignored.
Overall, Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) has yielded 12 touchdowns, and nine field goals, which for the Crimson Tide can only be described as pretty good, but not great. It has yet to post a shutout, the closest being South Florida held to just a field goal in Week 3, and isn't among the national leaders in any major team categories.
There have been encouraging signs about where this unit may end up. Among them, the Ole Miss offense only scored 10 points against Alabama. One of the most telling lines by an opposing coach was Lane Kiffin saying that he tried to go after Arnold "like last year and the guy did a really good job." The cornerback tallied eight tackles, two passes deflected and made an interception against the Rebels.
"You've got to steal scores when you have a chance," Kiffin said about Alabama, which was high praise. He's known for finding a mismatch and attacking over and over again until the defense either stops it or succumbs. It just wasn't there, though.
Kiffin's offense managed just 301 total yards. A couple of weeks later, the Texas A&M offense under Jimbo Fisher and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, which had the advantage of playing at home at Kyle Field, managed just 306. Arkansas (2-5, 0-4) finished with 250.
Drawing any conclusions about the defense against the Sam Pittman's team is difficult, and not because almost no one attending Arkansas as an undergraduate can remember the last time the it beat Alabama (34-23 in 2006, when Mitch Mustain threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ben Cleveland in double-overtime, and the Crimson Tide's kicking game missed more field goals and extra-point attempts than it made). The Razorbacks came in having lost four straight, albeit the games against LSU and Ole Miss were close, and have been struggling on the offensive line.
"We were trying to just keep it close in the fourth quarter," Pittman said, later adding, "It was two teams fighting their butts off today."
A key would likely be whether quarterback K.J Jefferson could get into a rhythm, or even comfortable.
Two years ago, Jefferson had a pretty good day at Bryant-Denny Stadium, completing 22 of 30 passes (73.3 percent) for 326 yards, with three touchdown and no interceptions. His passer rating of 197.6 is still his career best against an SEC opponent on the road. Arkansas kept up with the home team, but lost 42-35. Last season against Alabama he was just 13 of 24 (54.2) for 155 yards and one touchdown, registering a 122.2 rating, his second-lowest at home as a starter (114.5 against Rice in the 2021 season opener). The Crimson Tide won 49-26.
This was Jefferson’s fourth time playing against Alabama. He was inserted in 2020 when Feleipe Franks couldn't get Arkansas into the end zone and the Crimson Tide won 52-3. Jefferson was 1-for-6 for 18 yards and lost a fumble). He was 14-for-24, 150 yards and two touchdowns, but his confidence grew as the game progresssed.
Ask most Alabama fans and they'll tell you the biggest concern has been the offense this season, while special teams have been impressive and the defense has looked promising. They like the way the Crimson Tide defense can really get after a quarterback, and the secondary has been good despite some injuries.
But statistically, the unit has yet to really step up. Granted, that's normal with a new coordinator calling plays and significant turnover among the players as well. Yet here's the comparison of this season's first six games (before Saturday's game against Arkansas) to last year.
• Rushing defense: 105.2 yards per game allowed, which ranked 23rd in the nation. A year ago it was yielding 84.5.
• Passing yards: 193.33 allowed, tied for 28th. That's up from 166.3 yards.
• Passing efficiency: Opposing quarterbacks combined for a 113.88 rating, No. 24 in the nation. A year ago it was fifth at 100.39.
• Scoring defense: 15.17 points allowed, which ranked No. 14. A year ago it was at 12.5, sixth in the nation.
• Total yards: 298.5, No. 19. That's up from 250.8, which ranked fifth in the nation.
• Third-down efficiency: The Crimson Tide was 30-for-90 (33.33 percent0, at No. 28. That's 10 percent higher than a year ago, 23 percent.
• Sacks: Alabama notched 22, up from 18 a year ago.
Now for a little perspective.
All of those numbers from a year ago were from before Alabama played at Tennessee, where it yielded 567 yards to the Volunteers and lost 52-49. The Crimson Tide was 6-0, had already played Arkansas, and was coming off the 24-20 victory against Texas A&M.
Last year's Crimson Tide's offense was also more prolific, averaging 503.7 yards through six games. While it obviously meant more points scored, it also put the Alabama defense on the field more.
Where did Alabama finish in some of those major categories in 2022?
- Rushing D: 130.4, No. 35
- Total D: 318.2, No. 12
- Scoring D: 18.2, No. 9
- Passing efficiency D: 108.0, No. 6
If Alabama posts similar numbers in the second half of this season as it did a year ago, it'll miss the College Football Playoff again.
Granted, Alabama won on Saturday, 24-21, and happily celebrated homecoming, but Saban won't be thrilled with how his team played, especially in the second half.
Aided by two major penalties, including a bad face-mask penalty on third-and-8 at the Arkansas 27, and pass interference on a third-down ball thrown near the end zone, the Razorbacks did finally reach the end zone in the third quarterer against Kevin Steele's unit. ∂
Subsequently, a missed sack on Jefferson turned into a 23-yard run, and on third-and-11 he found Rashod Dubinion for a 14-yard touchdown on the ninth play of the drive to make it one-score game.
"This is not the kind of team that you all think they are, they're a good team," Saban said. "That quarterback is a handful. When a quarterback can take a major college football player, and sling him off like a gnat on a fly's ass, I mean a gnat on a cow's ass, that was one of the most impressive plays I've ever seen a player make."
Nevertheless, this one shouldn't have been so close. During Alabama's previous four games it had allowed a combined 13 points in the second half. Arkansas managed 15 and put itself into position to try and steal the win.
Can the defense finish? That's often the difference between pretty good and great.
Christopher Walsh's column regularly appears on BamaCentral.
