🏈 Does Alabama's 1980 defense not get enough credit?

[saturdaysarebetter]

Does Alabama's 1980 defense not get enough credit?

• Only three teams scored 10 points or more against them.
• Only one team scored more than 19 points against them.
• They held NINE teams to seven points or less in a game.

 

[TerryP]

Just the right amount of credit. They didn't play anyone of note that season. Or rather, played like shit that season.

The best regular season win was against whom...a seven win LSU team? Shut out by ND at home. Managed to put three on the board against State in a three point loss. Yeah, they held them under 10: and lost. They held ND to seven, and lost. One team scored more than 19? 35 given up to Ole Miss who won THREE games that season. Nine teams to seven or less? Look at those teams. Who, a one win GT? A two win Vandy? A three win Kentucky?

Don't get me wrong. A hat tip and a hearty ROLL TIDE to everyone on the team and staff for '80. But damn. I'm a seventh grader the time, managed to listened to games and very rarely saw them on TV...but I knew enough to know that wasn't a very good ball club.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Just the right amount of credit. They didn't play anyone of note that season. Or rather, played like shit that season.

The best regular season win was against whom...a seven win LSU team? Shut out by ND at home. Managed to put three on the board against State in a three point loss. Yeah, they held them under 10: and lost. They held ND to seven, and lost. One team scored more than 19? 35 given up to Ole Miss who won THREE games that season. Nine teams to seven or less? Look at those teams. Who, a one win GT? A two win Vandy? A three win Kentucky?

Don't get me wrong. A hat tip and a hearty ROLL TIDE to everyone on the team and staff for '80. But damn. I'm a seventh grader the time, managed to listened to games and very rarely saw them on TV...but I knew enough to know that wasn't a very good ball club.

The question was about the defense. The defense doesn't account for the offense not scoring, or scoring only three. A defense that gives up 98 points in a 12-game season is a really, really good defense. At least two of those points came from a safety. They gave up more than seven points three times all season, winning all of them. The defense didn't play like shit. They carried the team.

 

[TerryP]

The question was about the defense. The defense doesn't account for the offense not scoring, or scoring only three. A defense that gives up 98 points in a 12-game season is a really, really good defense. At least two of those points came from a safety. They gave up more than seven points three times all season, winning all of them. The defense didn't play like shit. They carried the team.

The defensive question was addressed. You don't laud holding teams that have three wins on a season under 10 points. Opponents: One of the teams with the most wins Bama faced in '80 wasn't D1: it was Southern Miss. Three teams had nine wins that season. With the exception of SMU, Bama lost the other two. Half the teams on that schedule didn't win half of their games.

The D did well in the bowl against Baylor: two points. Of course, that 10 win Baylor team hung their hat on a W over a seven win TX.

I've had this discussion about '80 before but in a bit of a different context. Was it Moore or Donahue that hated points? Dude was still on that staff then...that was EJ's team, Jim Bob's. Major.

 

[UAgrad93]

1980 offense was a mess in the QB room. Don Jacobs, Alan Gray, Ken Coley, Walter Lewis, Paul Fields all took snaps. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers!!

 

[alabama mike]

If I can remember back that far…I was a sophomore in college. Bama had a very strong defense against some not so good teams. Yes, it was impressive to hold teams to low scores but it was also a different era of college football. The offense was another story as @UAgrad93 said.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

The defensive question was addressed. You don't laud holding teams that have three wins on a season under 10 points. Opponents: One of the teams with the most wins Bama faced in '80 wasn't D1: it was Southern Miss. Three teams had nine wins that season. With the exception of SMU, Bama lost the other two. Half the teams on that schedule didn't win half of their games.

The D did well in the bowl against Baylor: two points. Of course, that 10 win Baylor team hung their hat on a W over a seven win TX.

I've had this discussion about '80 before but in a bit of a different context. Was it Moore or Donahue that hated points? Dude was still on that staff then...that was EJ's team, Jim Bob's. Major.

You were the first response, how could the question have been answered?

Southern Miss wasn't a DI team in 1980? How did they play in the Independence Bowl? How were they ranked at number 20 the week they played Bama if not a D1? As an aside, Reggie Collier was no slouch.

 

[TerryP]

Southern Miss wasn't a DI team in 1980? How did they play in the Independence Bowl? How were they ranked at number 20 the week they played Bama if not a D1? As an aside, Reggie Collier was no slouch.

I have it in my mind that were DII in '80. There's a good chance I'm mixing things up. I think it's fair to say that the program was considered "homecoming material."

You were the first response, how could the question have been answered?

The best regular season win was against whom...a seven win LSU team? Shut out by ND at home. Managed to put three on the board against State in a three point loss. Yeah, they held them under 10: and lost. They held ND to seven, and lost. One team scored more than 19? 35 given up to Ole Miss who won THREE games that season. Nine teams to seven or less? Look at those teams. Who, a one win GT? A two win Vandy? A three win Kentucky?

A good defense against some bad teams doesn't make a defensive that deserves more credit.

I look this a lot like OU's run through those four years. Yeah, it was pretty on paper...but against whom?

"I haven't lost a golf match in five years. I haven't played anyone who shot less than 100."