The Alabama Crimson Tide defense has performed well so far this season, though far from flawlessly. While complimenting players on their game performances, Alabama Football Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele has consistently stressed his defense must improve.
Steele was not particularly impressed with the Crimson Tide’s shutout of Western Kentucky. He assessed the Alabama defense after three games, saying, “Plenty of work to do, a lot of things to correct … there’s a lot of things fundamentally we have to get better at. There are things from a schematic standpoint we’ve got to be more consistent with.”
Statistically, the Crimson Tide defense is doing well. Alabama is No. 3 nationally in Opponent Third Down Conversions at 16.33%. Of course, the stat should be strong, given the offenses of WKU, USF, and Wisconsin with a backup quarterback. Alabama is also No. 13 nationally in Scoring Defense and No. 6 in Passing Defense Rating.
The area where Alabama must improve is Rushing Defense. At an opponent rushing yard per carry average of 3.48 yards, Alabama ranks No. 56 nationally and No. 12 among SEC teams. For perspective, the 2023 Alabama defense finished at 3.72 yards for the same stat—No. 33 nationally and No. 6 among SEC teams.
Given the remaining schedule, Steele is right to focus on the need for his defense to improve. There are a couple of reasons why Crimson Tide fans should not be too concerned. One is that a new system, with many players lacking extensive game experience, takes time to develop. That might not bode well for Sept. 28, but later in the season, the Tide’s defense should be more efficient.
**Kevin Steele Holding Back Alabama Football Defense?**
Another factor could impact the Georgia game. It’s possible that Kevin Steele has been holding back. That is, not fully utilizing much of his defensive scheme. How much of Steele’s defense has remained hidden is unknown. This week, Alabama’s DC hinted that his installed defense hasn’t been fully revealed yet. “We carried a lot more defense going into each of those three games, and once we realized we didn’t have to show certain things, we chose not to do that.”
A best-case scenario for Alabama would be to use just enough defense to beat Georgia, while continuing to hold some back for the Tennessee game three weeks later. That might seem like a crazy supposition, but in Week 4, the Tennessee offense looks more formidable than Georgia’s offense
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