BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Red-zone defense for the Alabama football team made a significant impact Saturday in the Iron Bowl.
Auburn was forced to kick five field goals, which kept the score manageable for the Crimson Tide before halftime. Alabama, down 26-21 at the half, came back to win 55-44, sending the Crimson Tide into this weekendâs SEC Championship Game in Atlanta against Missouri.
Alabamaâs red-zone defense has been tough all season, with only three rushing touchdowns allowed.
âWe practice down there a lot because if you play well in the red zone you donât give up big plays,â coach Nick Saban said.
âYou get a little bit hard to score on even if people move the ball on you. Thatâs obviously what we want to be on defense, and thatâs hard to score on.â
Auburn moved the ball up and down the field between the 20-yard lines. The Tigers gained 630 yards, but couldnât punch in key scores. They scored a rushing touchdown late in the game, but the outcome already had been decided.
âWe feel like the red zone is a mentality that you have, calls are going to be simple,â defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. âWe feel like we have a physical mentality, especially when weâre getting stops or the other team is getting stops.
âItâs big-boy football inside the red zone, but I feel like we stepped up and manned up inside the red zone, so Iâm really happy with how we played in the red zone.â
The defensive calls are similar in the red zone as they are in the middle of the field.
âPlayers understand how we adapt and change things in the red zone,â Saban said. âAnd they competed well down there. Hopefully, thatâs something weâll continue to be able to do. It all comes down to execution.â
Auburn had opportunities but missed open receivers.
âThey just didnât make the plays,â Saban said. âWe want to get those things corrected so we give ourselves the best chance to get off the field.â
Alabama has allowed 30 red-zone scores in 37 chances, but 16 of those scores were on field goals. The teamâs overall scoring defense ranks sixth in the nation with 16.9 points allowed a game.
âBend but donât break,â safety Nick Perry said. âThey get the ball down there, your job is either hold them to a field goal or no points, and I think we did that a few times in the last game.â
When one area excels, that means something else has problems. Alabama has experience defending the red zone because teams go on long drives to get inside the 20. The Crimson Tideâs third-down defense ranks tied for 29th in the country with opponents converting 36 percent of the time.
Shorter drives that end in punts or turnovers mean less stress in the red zone.
âI think if we do a little bit better on third down we wouldnât be down there as much,â Saban said. âThere are other things we want to improve on so we donât have to play in the red zone as much.â
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Auburn was forced to kick five field goals, which kept the score manageable for the Crimson Tide before halftime. Alabama, down 26-21 at the half, came back to win 55-44, sending the Crimson Tide into this weekendâs SEC Championship Game in Atlanta against Missouri.
Alabamaâs red-zone defense has been tough all season, with only three rushing touchdowns allowed.
âWe practice down there a lot because if you play well in the red zone you donât give up big plays,â coach Nick Saban said.
âYou get a little bit hard to score on even if people move the ball on you. Thatâs obviously what we want to be on defense, and thatâs hard to score on.â
Auburn moved the ball up and down the field between the 20-yard lines. The Tigers gained 630 yards, but couldnât punch in key scores. They scored a rushing touchdown late in the game, but the outcome already had been decided.
âWe feel like the red zone is a mentality that you have, calls are going to be simple,â defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. âWe feel like we have a physical mentality, especially when weâre getting stops or the other team is getting stops.
âItâs big-boy football inside the red zone, but I feel like we stepped up and manned up inside the red zone, so Iâm really happy with how we played in the red zone.â
The defensive calls are similar in the red zone as they are in the middle of the field.
âPlayers understand how we adapt and change things in the red zone,â Saban said. âAnd they competed well down there. Hopefully, thatâs something weâll continue to be able to do. It all comes down to execution.â
Auburn had opportunities but missed open receivers.
âThey just didnât make the plays,â Saban said. âWe want to get those things corrected so we give ourselves the best chance to get off the field.â
Alabama has allowed 30 red-zone scores in 37 chances, but 16 of those scores were on field goals. The teamâs overall scoring defense ranks sixth in the nation with 16.9 points allowed a game.
âBend but donât break,â safety Nick Perry said. âThey get the ball down there, your job is either hold them to a field goal or no points, and I think we did that a few times in the last game.â
When one area excels, that means something else has problems. Alabama has experience defending the red zone because teams go on long drives to get inside the 20. The Crimson Tideâs third-down defense ranks tied for 29th in the country with opponents converting 36 percent of the time.
Shorter drives that end in punts or turnovers mean less stress in the red zone.
âI think if we do a little bit better on third down we wouldnât be down there as much,â Saban said. âThere are other things we want to improve on so we donât have to play in the red zone as much.â
Decatur DailyâContinue reading...
