Alabama made Iron Bowl history this past Saturday by posting its largest margin of victory over a ranked Auburn.
The Crimson Tide's 42-13 drubbing was certainly a feather in the cap for offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who managed the resounding win while head coach Nick Saban was confined to his residence following a positive COVID-19 test. Quarterback Mac Jones threw five touchdown passes, with receivers John Metchie and DeVonta Smith notching two scores apiece, and then there was the defensive effort under coordinator Pete Golding.
Playing in the shadow this season of Jones, Smith and senior running back Najee Harris, Alabama's defense has quietly reclaimed its perch atop the Southeastern Conference when it comes to fewest points allowed.
"I just feel like we're coming along every week and just playing as a team," redshirt junior defensive end Phidarian Mathis said. "We've got to play together up front and in the secondary and just help each other out. As long as all of us are on the same page, we can be great out there."
Alabama's 18.5 points allowed per game isn't great by Crimson Tide standards of a decade ago, but things certainly have trended in an impressive direction since the wacky 63-48 win at Ole Miss on Oct. 10. The Crimson Tide surrendered 24 first-half points the next weekend against visiting Georgia but have since yielded just 33 points in 18 quarters.
Bo Nix's 1-yard quarterback sneak with 4:39 remaining Saturday ended Alabama's 12-quarter streak without allowing a touchdown.
"I think that our entire defense has improved and jelled together as a unit with all 11 guys playing better," Saban said. "I think we're playing a little better in the back end than we were at the beginning, and I think we're getting a little better pass rush. I think we're using more players now, which I think enhances everybody's opportunities to have a role and to be able to go out there and contribute.
"We made a couple of mistakes in the secondary that could have been really costly. Their guy drops the ball, and he's 20 yards behind everybody in the second quarter, which was a bust."
Auburn receiver Seth Williams did have that significant gaffe just before halftime, but Alabama already had a 21-3 lead at that point and had made Gus Malzahn's Tigers one-dimensional. The Tigers were far from full strength with injuries to starting running back Tank Bigsby and starting tackles Alec Jackson and Brodarious Hamm and finished with 42 carries for 120 yards, or just 2.9 per carry.
"We didn't run the football very efficiently, and when we run the football, we're a good offense," Malzahn said. "We weren't able to do that consistently, and that was tough. We had some new guys in, but you've got to give them credit.
"They're pretty stout up front."
Alabama is deeper and much healthier up front defensively compared to a year ago with the likes of Mathis, DJ Dale, Justin Eboigbe, LaBryan Ray, Christian Barmore and Byron Young. The linebackers have experience with Dylan Moses, Christian Harris and Joshua McMillon, as well as a freshman standout with Will Anderson, and no position group has come further than the secondary.
Patrick Surtain II is the star of Alabama's defensive backfield, but Josh Jobe, Daniel Wright, Jordan Battle and Malachi Moore have stolen the show on plenty of occasions this season, with the Iron Bowl being no exception. Moore's interception of Nix just before the half halted whatever momentum Auburn had left, and it was the third interception for the true freshman this season to go along with his 28-yard fumble return for a touchdown at Tennessee on Oct. 24.
"Early in the season, we saw a lot of stuff with Missouri and Ole Miss, and those games were really tough on our defensive players, especially the young ones," Saban said. "They saw about everything that you could see from a formation and an adjustment standpoint, but I think they learned a lot from it. I think Malachi is a guy who when he makes a mistake, he gets it right the next time.
"The cumulative effect of those experiences has made him more confident, and he's playing really, really well for us."
Alabama travels to LSU this Saturday, having gone through two very different experiences the past two seasons. The Crimson Tide won 29-0 at Baton Rouge two years ago but lost last season's showdown 46-41 in Tuscaloosa.
Given the recent performances of this year's Alabama defense, a repeat of that 2018 blanking does not seem out of the question.
"I feel it all comes from our communication," Christian Harris said. "I think we've improved week by week since that Ole Miss week, and it's starting to show. Everybody is getting more confidence, and we're playing a lot faster."
Saban update
Saban said Monday that he is being evaluated this week and that he fully expects to be coaching Saturday night inside Tiger Stadium.
When asked during his weekly news conference if revenge is ever used as a motivating factor, Saban said, "Every season is different and every team is different, but do I think it's a motivating factor with individuals and players? I absolutely do. I don't want to sound facetious here, but we only have a few of these."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.