'That's Exactly What Explains the Identity:' Alabama Flexes Swarm D in Win Over LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. — "Swarm D" is one of the mantras of Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.

It's instilled into every player who plays for him. For all of the fancy bells and whistles of his 4-2-5 scheme, much of it comes back to one central philosophy: mob the ballcarrier.

Alabama did that in its 31-13 win over LSU in Death Valley, and it is all illustrated by the Crimson Tide's performance against tight end Trey'Dez Green.

"He's a great player," defensive back Red Morgan said of Green. "We knew he was a big part of the game plan, so we just had to go out there and do what we do."

Green, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound unit, is one of the hardest players in the nation to bring down. He's cleared 50 yards in every game he's played this season, and much of it has come after the catch, specifically after contact.

That remained true in this game, as Green hauled in ten passes for 85 yards, and 38 after the catch. But, in the biggest moments, Alabama was there.

First, a third-and-long checkdown to Green in the first quarter. LSU was trying to gain yardage to set up a field goal, but Morgan made contact with him immediately after the catch, and Caleb Woodson swooped in to help bring him down. There was no additional gain after the reception.

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The Tigers missed a 56-yard field goal after that tackle. It could have been a different story from 50 or even 53 yards.

"That's the identity right there," Morgan said of that stop. "That's exactly what explains the identity."

Alabama consistently kept Green in check. Any damage he did was extremely tough to come by, and he only had two receptions of more than 15 yards. Nothing was free. The execution wasn't perfect, and there were more missed tackles than Wommack would have hoped for entering the day, but in the big moments, the defense buckled down.

With Alabama up 18 points late in the fourth quarter, and the game already effectively over, LSU had the ball in the red zone, looking to mount a miraculous comeback. On fourth-and-two, quarterback Sam Leavitt found Green on a screen. This is where he's thrived all season; this is a play he converts nine times out of ten.

Not this time. Morgan got a hand on him, Woodson pushed him down, and Keon Sabb was there as an insurance policy, even if he had stayed up.

Turnover on downs. Game over. Statement made.

"You create your breaks and create, you know, opportunities by hustling and giving great effort," head coach Kalen DeBoer said. "Our guys have done a great job of that all year, and it was really important tonight."

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