🏈 14 teams have allowed less than 1.5 points per drive over the past two seasons.

[bamafan9201]

Criminals use their perceived idea of facts, Terry showed actual indisputable evidence and facts.

I wouldn't call that indisputable evidence that Bama's defense is elite. I'd say circumstantial at best.

After this debate started it got me thinking: What would the numbers be or look like if we stacked Bama's defense and Georgia's defense against each other. Also, would the extra game (SEC championship) against harder competition make Georgia's numbers weaker than they really are (answer was yes).

To make this simplified I removed any NON - power 5 teams from the equation. I also have a separate number adjustment for any drives that had less than 1 minute left that weren't attempting to score (example: Kneeling or obvious 1 run plays on their 20 with 25 seconds left in the half)

Here's the stats I came up with.

Alabama's defense: 1.61 pts per drive
Alabama's ADJUSTED defense: 1.69 pts per drive

Georgia's defense: 1.33
Georgia's ADJUSTED defense: 1.34
Georgia's Defense (minus the SEC Championship game): 1.23

For Fun

Tennessee's defense: 2.03
Tennessee' ADJUSTED defense: 2.10

Conclusion: Alabama gave up .46 extra points per drive than the Georgia defense gave up, which roughly equates to 5.98 extra points given up defensively per game.

Tennessee gave up .41 extra points per drive than Alabama. Which means, Bama's defense is currently closer to being Tennessee's defense than it is to being Georgia's defense.

That's a rough thing to wrap your head around as an Alabama fan. I'm not doom and gloom, but we HAVE to find a way to coach some of these kids better and put them in better positions. I'd say the offense also doesn't help with the constant 3 and outs. Sustained drives for Georgia help them keep their numbers down.

While not a terrible defense, it is definitely not elite. Good, but not elite. I figured @TerryP might want a better picture on people's rub on Golding.

 

[BamaFan334]

Criminals use their perceived idea of facts, Terry showed actual indisputable evidence and facts.

My point was anyone can use statistics to frame an arguement. Our defense was not good, period. Us beating up on Vanderbilt, Austin Peay, Louisiana Monroe, and Utah State while padding our numbers doesn't inspire me. I don't care one bit to what we heldthem to. I wanna know the numbers from the SEC games we played in thta matter and shape our season.

We ended up with a negative turnover margin as well. When was the last time that happened? Absolutely awful, because we know Bryce wasn't a turnover machine.

 

[Rolltide24]

Some comparison. UT gained 289 yards on Georgia and scored 13 points. They had 569 yards of offense and 52 points against us.

 

[footballer]

Do we all agree that CNS and PG's Alabama defense is very complicated to learn and implement in games, especially against better teams?
Perhaps it is too complicated to teach and for the players to learn in the Limited On Field Practice Time that the NCAA and league has legislated into college ball.This is also true in the NFL, which hurts quality of play in games.

So, with limited on field practice and teaching time, will CNS and company see the light and simplify their schemes, both defensively and offensively? If so, it would allow the players to play more freely and faster, using their God given talents. Surely there is enough coaching brain power between CNS, CPG, and some of the position coaches and some analysts to devise schemes that are a little more simpler and easier to teach and be learned by the players.

CNS mantra is, we don't practice a play till we get it right, we practice it till we can't get it wrong. That does not seem to be happening in the recent past. Maybe there is not enough practice time to teach complicated schemes.

 

[ElephantStomp]

Do we all agree that CNS and PG's Alabama defense is very complicated to learn and implement in games, especially against better teams?
Perhaps it is too complicated to teach and for the players to learn in the Limited On Field Practice Time that the NCAA and league has legislated into college ball.This is also true in the NFL, which hurts quality of play in games.

So, with limited on field practice and teaching time, will CNS and company see the light and simplify their schemes, both defensively and offensively? If so, it would allow the players to play more freely and faster, using their God given talents. Surely there is enough coaching brain power between CNS, CPG, and some of the position coaches and some analysts to devise schemes that are a little more simpler and easier to teach and be learned by the players.

CNS mantra is, we don't practice a play till we get it right, we practice it till we can't get it wrong. That does not seem to be happening in the recent past. Maybe there is not enough practice time to teach complicated schemes.

It’s CNS’s defense with some small PG things. I think it’s super complicated, but I also think it’s need updated

 

[TerryP]

I can only laugh that you defend us as one of the best defenses in the country, yet we lost two games and missed the Playoff. Narrowly escaped Texas, A&M, and we see where others were more dominant with their showings

You're using transitive properties to define—team C didn't allow as many points as team B did when playing team A so team B doesn't have a good defense.

Northwestern only allowed Ohio State 21 points. UGA gave up 41. So, UGA doesn't have one of the best defenses in CFB.

You're mentioning Texas—whom Alabama held to 19—and pointing to that to support your assertion on Bama's defense when the Bama offense only put up 20?

You're pointing to A&M—whom Alabama held to 20—and pointing to that as well to support your assertion on Bama's defense when the offense only put up 24?

 

[TerryP]

What does the scoreboard against the Viles look like w/o so many penalties? Same question with LSU?

That is a good question with an answer a lot won't like.

I'll follow that up with another. Why is the defense being blamed when the offense had more penalties in both games? It was close to 2:1 with UT.

 

[mando]

That is a good question with an answer a lot won't like.

I'll follow that up with another. Why is the defense being blamed when the offense had more penalties in both games? It was close to 2:1 with UT.

I had not done that research but wondered, This would actually flip the script some for me saying penatlies kept drives alive so the opponent would score more points. This would imply that despite those penalties the offense overcame them to score 49 points. I am sure some of those defensive penalties happened at critical times (the defensive pass intereference that took away an interception and the Viles finally scored). I am sure some of those penalties kept us from getting off the field on 3rd down. This is more generalization and I am sure I could go back and look at every penaltiy to confirm my generalization but lets not let facts get in the way .

@TerryP I am truly trying to see this with a different set of lenses but when it is all said I will never be ok giving up 52 points and I am sure you are not either. Same with 31 points to the Who's. That is just not ok.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Some comparison. UT gained 289 yards on Georgia and scored 13 points. They had 569 yards of offense and 52 points

@BamaFan334

And yet...nick Saban .....the greatest CF coach of all time...some say...says the DC did "a REALLY REALLY good job"

I just cant frame this.... i cant ...in my mine....the pieces dont come together
He knows more than most...he sees it from every angle......and yet.....

 

[BamaFan334]

You're using transitive properties to define—team C didn't allow as many points as team B did when playing team A so team B doesn't have a good defense.

Northwestern only allowed Ohio State 21 points. UGA gave up 41. So, UGA doesn't have one of the best defenses in CFB.

You're mentioning Texas—whom Alabama held to 19—and pointing to that to support your assertion on Bama's defense when the Bama offense only put up 20?

You're pointing to A&M—whom Alabama held to 20—and pointing to that as well to support your assertion on Bama's defense when the offense only put up 24?

Doesn't matter when you see your team struggling and giving up plays and not being able to stop teams. We could have lost both of those games late if it weren't for bad coaching on the other team.

If you don't think Quinn Ewers chewed us up before he got hurt, you're not being honest. Even the back up Card gave us a scare.

A stupid call by A&M at the goal line saved us. I know a few folks tried saying Golding was the reason that play looked so terrible, but it was a bad throw and simply a bad play call from a team that drove the field on us most of the night.

Even Auburn made our defense look pedestrian with a quarterback that had not shown any ability to throw amd he still torched us with his legs. Which is the opposite with Tennessee and we allowed Hooker to drill us all night with his arm.

Throw in penalities, lack of turnovers, regression from tenured players and we were not an elite defense, nor did we play or show we were one. Who did we stop? The two top offenses we played shredded us in Tennessee and Ole Miss. We lost one and did not take the lead until the fourth quarter in the other and gave up over 400 yards. Bend but don't break was this year's defense, and we luckily outclassed some teams this year just due to our talent. We let teams drive on us which kept our offense off the field, which in turn put games in jeapordy because of our inability to stop teams and allow them to eat up clock. That's not elite.

Some want to say Georgia got exposed and got lucky. I have said all year their secondsry was garbage, and they finally played a quarterback that could pick them a part. Hooker was a great quarterback this year, but he did not have the talent and depth at receiver Stroud did, and you coukd see that difference. All that being said, you gotta get lucky in your title run, and Georgia got lucky. We got lucky a lot too this year or it could have been really ugly.

 

[BamaFan334]

@BamaFan334

And yet...nick Saban .....the greatest CF coach of all time...some say...says the DC did "a REALLY REALLY good job"

I just cant frame this.... i cant ...in my mine....the pieces dont come together
He knows more than most...he sees it from every angle......and yet.....

I still think that was just coach speech. As a leader you can't publicly humiliate your coaches or team. Sure he's done it during a game, but never directly to the public or media. I did not read much into that.

 

[TerryP]

While not a terrible defense, it is definitely not elite. Good, but not elite. I figured @TerryP might want a better picture on people's rub on Golding.

I have to ask why you think I need a better picture on "people's rub on Golding" (don't we use phrasing anymore?)

I haven't said, nor even hinted at, the Bama defense being "elite." I have taken issue with "Golding sucks, Bama's defense sucks, the defense isn't any good," and other little cliches.

Why? It's simply not true.

I have pointed to many examples of how it's one of the better defenses in college football.

I'll tell you what is true and is exemplified often in this thread and on other Bama venues: an empty garbage can bangs the loudest.

Your points per drive research was good. Thanks. It's noteworthy there's less than a four point differential between UGA and Bama in scoring defense—conference play only. There's almost a five point difference between Bama and TN. In conference play, Tennessee faced better offenses than UGA.

 

[mando]

@BamaFan334

And yet...nick Saban .....the greatest CF coach of all time...some say...says the DC did "a REALLY REALLY good job"

I just cant frame this.... i cant ...in my mine....the pieces dont come together
He knows more than most...he sees it from every angle......and yet.....

Indeed perplexing unless @TerryP is right and the rest of us are wrong. Naaah couldn't be that .

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Indeed perplexing unless @TerryP is right and the rest of us are wrong. Naaah couldn't be that .

Never happen!!!!!!!

 

[bamafan9201]

I have to ask why you think I need a better picture on "people's rub on Golding" (don't we use phrasing anymore?)

I haven't said, nor even hinted at, the Bama defense being "elite." I have taken issue with "Golding sucks, Bama's defense sucks, the defense isn't any good," and other little cliches.

Why? It's simply not true.

I have pointed to many examples of how it's one of the better defenses in college football.

I'll tell you what is true and is exemplified often in this thread and on other Bama venues: an empty garbage can bangs the loudest.

Your points per drive research was good. Thanks. It's noteworthy there's less than a four point differential between UGA and Bama in scoring defense—conference play only. There's almost a five point difference between Bama and TN. In conference play, Tennessee faced better offenses than UGA.

I think it's more of a standard issue, holding them up against previous defenses this unit had a ton of talent but unable to cash that talent into something good. The "Bama Standard" test was just not passed this year and last year. A consistent theme so far in his tenure with the team. I dunno if pitchforks are warranted, but he definitely needs to step it up next year (If he returns). I would like to see better coverage/play from the DBs and LBs and I'd like to see better defensive scheme adjustments in-game. Multiple times, we got burned on things because we failed to adjust or weren't able to adjust at half-time.