In the world of increasing spread-offense opponents for which Alabama must prepare, the Crimson Tide have been dealt a temporary treat.
After shutting down Georgia's between-the-tackles running game for most of last Saturday's 38-10 win in Athens, the Crimson Tide have been prepping for Arkansas on Saturday night inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Razorbacks have maintained a ground-and-pound identity ever since Bret Bielema became coach before the 2013 season.
For Alabama, that's an appealing invitation.
"As a defense, we don't feel that any team can run effectively against us for the whole game," Tide defensive end Jonathan Allen told reporters this week. "It's our mentality to stop the run."
Alabama coach Nick Saban has entered recent seasons knowing he must stop the spread attacks of Auburn, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, as well as the traditional styles of LSU and Arkansas. Georgia was the rotating Eastern Division foe on this season's Tide schedule, and the fact Alabama is facing the Bulldogs and Razorbacks in consecutive weeks is fine by Saban.
Preparing for similar foes back to back, he believes, is better than having to go back and forth.
"There is a little carryover this week, and the carryover is always helpful," Saban said on Wednesday's SEC teleconference. "The way we kind of look at it is that we know what we're going to face throughout the course of a season, and even when we're playing a spread team, we can't completely get away from pro-style type stuff. That's one of the reasons why we like to keep both with our offense, so when we practice against each other, we're getting some reps with the players on things that may be different than they're seeing that week but that they're going to see down the road.
"I do think the more carryover you have in what you're doing, the better chance you have at getting good execution."
The Crimson Tide certainly executed defensively last weekend, holding the Bulldogs to 299 total yards. Georgia sophomore tailback Nick Chubb did break free for an 83-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, but Alabama already had put the game away, up 38-3.
Alabama forced 11 punts against the Bulldogs, tallied four tackles for loss and snagged three interceptions.
"We didn't do much against them," Chubb said. "I tip the cap to those guys. They're very big and physical. They were everywhere."
The Crimson Tide lead the Southeastern Conference in rushing defense, yielding 84 yards a game. Arkansas averages 204 rushing yards per contest, good for fourth in the league, and had 100-yard games by Alex Collins and Rawleigh Williams in last week's 24-20 win at Tennessee.
Alabama not only has the most effective defensive front in the league but also the deepest, and the shifting of Jarran Reed from nose tackle to defensive tackle is paying early dividends. Reed's former spot is being anchored by the tandem of 315-pounders Darren Lake and Daron Payne.
Lake is a junior. Payne is a five-star talent fresh out of Shades Valley High in Birmingham.
"He's improving every week," Saban said. "Young players with ability have to learn to play with consistency and make sure they're doing their job on every play. We're pleased with what he's done, but there are some things he can improve on. We think Darren Lake is a good player, too, and those two guys have to do a good job in this game.
"Those two guys will certainly have some challenges relative to one of the biggest offensive lines in the country."
Reed posted incredible numbers last season at the nose, with 55 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-4, 313-pounder from Goldsboro, N.C., is thriving even more this year, racking up 28 tackles and two tackles for loss.
Only senior inside linebacker Reggie Ragland has more tackles for this year's Tide, and Reed is coming off an eight-tackle performance in Sanford Stadium.
"He's having a really good year," Saban said. "His production is up, and he's shown a lot of leadership on our team. That has been important to him. He's in better shape than he's been in, and I think his quickness is better, which I think has been helpful to him being more productive."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.