Ex-Cal Star Tyson Alualu Has a Big Game in Steelers' Win Over Giants

Former Cal standout Tyson Alualu demonstrated his versatility in his strong defensive performance in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 26-16 victory over the New York Giants Monday night.

But before we go into Alualu's impressive 2020 debut, let's take a moment to congratulate ex-Cal star and current Giants linebacker Devante Downs on his first career NFL start on Monday, when he made what could have been a game-changing play. Besides being a starter at inside linebacker, Downs plays on special teams, and he recovered a muffed punt at the Steelers' 3-yard line in the opening quarter.

How he made the recovery is a mystery, as you can see from this video replay, as Downs (No. 52) was about the seventh Giants player to have a shot at a recovery, coming into the scrum late and somehow pulling the ball away from other players who seemed to be in better position.

The Giants only got a fiield goal out of it, and eventually lost the game to the Steelers, which brings us back to Alualu.

Alualu, the 10th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, had been a starter with the Jacksonville Jaguars, manning a defensive end spot in the fourth season after being a defensive tackle for the most part his first three seasons. He played both positions as an occasional starter the next three seasons for the Jaguars before signing with the Steelers as a free agent, knowing he would be used in a reserve role.

He played defensive end in Pittsburgh's three-man front the next three seasons, getting 12 starts in that three-year span.

But when Javon Hargrave, the Steelers' starting nose tackle the past four seasons, signed a free-agenet contract with the Philadelphia Eagles last March, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin turned to Alualu as his new starting nose tackle.

Alualu played down the adjustment he would have to make.

“I don’t think I did too much different preparing to play nose tackle because in our defense, especially when we are in nickel, we play a lot over the center,” said Alualu a few weeks ago, according to Behind the Steel Curtain. “A lot of those repetitive things playing from whether we are in the tilt over the center, on the center or two-eye over the guard. I think it is more of a mental thing playing inside, especially in our “okie” defense. It is a lot [quicker] getting your hands on the center. It is more of a mentality.

“The further and further you move away from the ball, whether you are playing defensive tackle or defensive end, you get more space. But when you are playing nose tackle, you get a lot more action a lot faster. I guess getting your hands a lot quicker, and just working on that throughout the offseason. I’ve seen Javon work throughout the years that I have been here. I think I got first-hand what it looks like to be a great nose tackle. Seeing him work and seeing how he operates on a daily basis from practice and letting it translate to the games, I think being able to see how he plays was definitely a positive for me moving forward.”

The test came Monday in the Steelers' opener, when Alaualu made his 100th career NFL start.

The nose tackle position does not typically produce impressive statistics, but Alualu had four tackles, including two tackles for losses, plus a quarterback hit against the Giants. Those are monster numbers for a nose tackle, which can often go an entire game without a tackle.

Perhaps more indicative of his performance were the Giants' rushing numbers. Any defensive coach will tell you that you can't have a good run defense without a solid nose tackle, whose ability to engage blockers in the middle frees up teammates to make tackles.

New York's standout running back Saquon Barkley managed just six yards on 15 carries Monday.

That's why the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave the Steelers' defensive line an A-minus grade with this explanation:

Defensive line: The line set the tone early and often by stuffing Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who had minus-3 yards rushing at halftime. He finished with just 6 yards on 15 carries, and the Giants totaled just 29 yards on 20 attempts in the game. It was a dominating performance by Stephon Tuitt, Cam Heyward and Tyson Alualu. “We had a commitment, and we weren’t bashful about that commitment,” coach Mike Tomlin said afterward. Tuitt also added a sack in his first game back after missing the final 10 games last season with a pectoral injury while Heyward was in the right place at the right time to haul in a crucial interception in the third quarter.

Confirmation of Alualu's impact came in the third quarter when ESPN game analyst Kirk Herbstreit noted how well Alualu was playing.

By the way, here's further evidence of Alualu's versatility: The 304-pound Alualu caught two passes for 19 yards, both for first downs, for Jacksonville in 2015.

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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