Since their arrival at the Capstone in 2007, Alabama coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinator have built a defensive juggernaut which is perennially among the best in the nation.
This year is no exception, as the Crimson Tide ranks third in the country and first in the SEC in points and yards allowed per game.
The unit’s strength this year is its front seven. Alabama is second in the nation and first in the conference in rush defense, allowing only 77.8 rushing yards per game.
“They’re probably as solid up front as they’ve ever been, and they’ve had some really good fronts,” said offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. “We’re going to have to do a really good job maintaining, sustaining our blocks and trying to give our backs a chance to get to that next level, and that’s going to be tough.”
Auburn has had success running the ball on the Tide during coach Gus Malzahn’s tenure. In 2013, the Tigers ran for 296 yards, and they ran for 174 yards a year ago in Tuscaloosa.
Even so, this year’s group presents a new challenge, according to Malzahn.
“They’re the most talented group [in the country],” Malzahn said. “A lot of those guys have played a lot of football, and they’re experienced. They’ve got a lot of depth. They put their twos in, and they’re like most people’s ones or maybe even better.”
While the coaches recognize the challenge the Tide’s front seven presents, they stressed the importance of sticking with the ground game, which has been the strength of the Auburn offense this season.
“I think a lot of times people look at the standpoint of, ‘You can’t run it on them, so don’t even try,’" Lashlee said. "You can’t do that. You can’t be one-dimensional and be successful often. You’ve still got to try to have some semblance of balance, even if it’s not that you’re gashing people up and down the field. The last couple of years when we’ve had some success it’s because we were able to make some plays both running and throwing the football. It’ll be no different this year.”
The Alabama secondary is the relative weakness of the defense, but the Tide is still ranked 21st in the nation in passing yards allowed per game.
Malzahn emphasized the need to stretch the field with the passing game to open up running lanes for Auburn’s backs. The Tigers were successful in doing so last year, as Nick Marshall threw for 456 yards, the most passing yards Alabama has ever allowed in the Iron Bowl.
“When you’re playing a talented defense, you can’t be one-dimensional. You got to do both,” Malzahn said. “That’s the challenge. If they make you one-dimensional, it gets extremely challenging.”
The Auburn offense has been inconsistent this season, but the Tigers will have an opportunity to turn things around on Saturday in the 80th meeting of the bitter rivals. They will have to do so against what many, including Malzahn and Lashlee, consider one of the most talented defenses in the country.
“We’ve got to play our best game,” Lashlee said. “There’s no question about it.”
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