There were aspects to Pete Golding's first season as Alabama's defensive coordinator that went as expected.
"You're at Alabama, so you're coaching some of the best players in the country with some of the best staff in the country for the best coach in the country," Golding said in a recent news conference previewing Wednesday afternoon's Citrus Bowl showdown between the Crimson Tide and Michigan.
There were other aspects, however, that were out of Golding's control.
The most obvious of those didn't transpire during Alabama's 10-2 regular season that included a 46-41 loss to LSU and a 48-45 defeat at Auburn but rather before the opening kickoff against Duke on Labor Day weekend in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Tide took the field against the Blue Devils having already lost their two starting inside linebackers - junior Dylan Moses and fifth-year senior Joshua McMillon - to season-ending knee injuries in preseason practices.
Moses was a Butkus Award finalist last season.
The abrupt losses of Moses and McMillon coupled with Mack Wilson's decision in January to forgo his final season left Golding with a pair of true freshmen - Christian Harris and Shane Lee - as his two new inside starters.
"The struggle for any freshman coming in is adjusting to the speed of the game, and now they're looking at motions and shifts and having to make a call with everybody waiting," Golding said. "That was a struggle early for them, but those guys love football, and they're extremely smart. They had growing pains. I had growing pains, and it wasn't perfect by any means.
"It was the situation we were put in, and I'm proud of the way we handled ourselves. A lot of schools play freshmen, and we've played a lot of freshmen before. The unique part was having two 18-year-olds who have never been in the system who were side by side. They were the signal-callers playing side by side."
Alabama was able to mask its defensive youth in early routs of Duke and New Mexico State, but the Tide allowed 459 yards on a whopping 86 plays during their third game, a 47-23 win at South Carolina. It was in that contest when Alabama lost junior defensive end LaBryan Ray with a season-ending foot injury.
The Tide struggled again defensively during a 59-31 win over Ole Miss in late September, but they showed improvement a month later in victories over Tennessee (35-13) and Arkansas (48-7). LSU and Auburn were going to be the most demanding opponents for Alabama's defense, and that proved true, with the two setbacks eliminating the Tide from the College Football Playoff for the very first time.
Against Michigan, the Tide will face an offense led by former Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson and coordinated by Josh Gattis, who was Alabama's receivers coach last season. Golding said Alabama has to make Patterson a pocket passer and keep him from running, and he does admit that Gattis could provide the Wolverines an edge.
"He knows about things that make us adjust in certain ways," Golding said. "That does give them an advantage. He knows our system, but it's about execution. Our players have to execute."
Senior cornerback Trevon Diggs and redshirt junior outside linebacker Terrell Lewis have elected to sit out the bowl, providing one final obstacle for Golding, who still has a standout at every level with senior defensive end Raekwon Davis, fifth-year senior outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings and junior safety Xavier McKinney. Diggs and Lewis likely will be replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore Josh Jobe and redshirt sophomore Chris Allen.
"This is an opportunity to end the year on the right note," Golding said. "Obviously we've had a lot of young players playing for us who we think have progressed throughout the year, and I think it's very important to finish this year on the right note."
Said McKinney: "We want to show that we can still play and the we can still dominate."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.