It was April 2014, and Alabama football coach Nick Saban was teeing off on a reporter who had inquired about what appeared to be a deep and talented defensive front forming in Tuscaloosa.
"What does appear mean?" Saban shot back. "It just means that you've dreamed about it and it's there? We've never seen these guys play or seen them take on an SEC lineman, but it appears - this is how we form public opinion, because something appears to be that way, and everyone believes it."
The potential for greatness was evident that spring with A'Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen coming off promising freshman seasons. D.J. Pettway had returned to the program after having been dismissed in the winter of 2013, and touted signee Da'Shawn Hand was several weeks away from arriving.
Alabama football coach Nick Saban is 0-1 in the SEC for the first time in his nine seasons in Tuscaloosa.Tide, take three
1. This will be the first meeting between Alabama and Charleston Southern, which lost 55-9 last year at Georgia.2. A win by Alabama would clinch an eighth consecutive 10-win season.3. Crimson Tide tailback Derrick Henry has rushed for 1,458 yards and needs 222 more to break Trent Richardson’s single-season program mark of 1,679 set in 2011.
Now, as the No. 3 Crimson Tide prepare for Saturday's visit from Charleston Southern, the perception of 18 months ago has turned into a brilliant reality that not even Saban can downplay.
"Our defensive front is the strength of our team," Saban said after Saturday's 31-6 throttling of Mississippi State in Starkville. "We've got a lot of guys who are big and physical. They're athletic, and we've got eight or nine who can play, which is important for us.
"When big guys are tired and their tank is empty, it usually stays that way."
Alabama is 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Southeastern Conference play largely behind the running of Derrick Henry but also largely behind a defensive front that impresses more and more each week. The Crimson Tide are No. 2 nationally in rushing defense (allowing 77.1 yards per game), fourth in total defense (278.1 yards per game) and seventh in scoring defense (15.3 points per game).
At Mississippi State, the Tide racked up nine sacks of standout quarterback Dak Prescott, the most in a game for Alabama since 1998.
"We pride ourselves on being able to get to the quarterback rushing four men," Allen told reporters after a three-sack performance. "In the past, they've talked about how we don't have a pass rush and how we need to blitz to get to the quarterback. We take that personally up front because even though you're not calling us out by name, you're calling out our group."
Allen, who leads Alabama's talented front with 11.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks, was recognized Monday as the SEC defensive player of the week. Yet it's Jarran Reed who leads the position group with 45 tackles overall, while Dalvin Tomlinson has a front-leading six pass deflections and Robinson a front-high eight quarterback pressures.
Seven Tide defensive linemen - Reed, Robinson, Allen, Tomlinson, Pettway, Hand and freshman nose tackle Daron Payne - have at least 10 tackles this season.
"Every one of those guys has gotten better, which is a tribute to their work ethic, and coach Bo Davis has done a nice job with them," Saban said Monday. "Some of those guys got lighter and are quicker, and some others have developed and been able to play more significant roles. The diversity that we have in those players is very helpful, and the fact we have the depth is really a luxury, because we can roll guys in and not really lose a lot.
"We played 87 plays in this last game, and if we couldn't roll guys in, it would be tough to finish at the end of the game."
Tide tidbits
Next week's game at Auburn will be televised by CBS at 3:30 p.m. Tailback Kenyan Drake underwent successful surgery on the fractured arm he suffered in Starkville, but the fifth-year senior is expected to miss at least two weeks. Two freshmen, Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough, will back up Henry this week. Defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a sprained knee against the Bulldogs, and Saban said he does not believe the freshman will be able to practice enough this week to play Saturday. Junior tight end O.J. Howard was named Monday among the eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.