Alabama's Defense Has Been the Backbone - But Can the Offense Rise in the SEC Title Rematch?
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama’s offense has delivered some clutch moments this season, but make no mistake - the Crimson Tide’s defense has been just as vital, if not more so, in keeping this team in the College Football Playoff conversation.
Yes, fans will remember Germie Bernard’s late-game heroics against South Carolina, Isaiah Horton’s fourth-down touchdown against Auburn, and Ty Simpson’s strike to Daniel Hill that sealed it against Missouri. But look a little deeper, and you’ll see a defense that has consistently stepped up when the offense has sputtered.
Take those same games. Safety Bray Hubbard forced a key fumble late in the Iron Bowl.
Nose tackle Tim Keenan III punched the ball out against South Carolina in a critical moment. And DaShawn Jones?
He flipped the script with a pick-six against Missouri. These weren’t just defensive highlights - they were game-saving plays.
Despite ranking 26th nationally in points per game, Alabama’s offense has struggled with consistency, especially in recent weeks. The defense has been the glue, holding things together when the offense couldn’t quite finish the job. And the players know it.
“Championship teams, they’re built through the defense, man,” Bernard said Tuesday. “We have a great defense, and we have to be better on offense for us to win how we want to.”
That reality was on full display in the loss to Oklahoma. Alabama moved the ball well - nearly doubling the Sooners in first downs and total yardage - but turnovers told the story.
An interception returned for a touchdown and two lost fumbles that turned into Oklahoma points proved costly. The Tide could move the chains, but they couldn’t finish drives.
Even in victories, the offense has had its hiccups. Against Georgia on the road, Alabama came out swinging with 24 first-half points.
But the second half? Zero.
Not a single point. The defense held firm, but it was clear the offense had hit a wall.
Now, Alabama is prepping for a rematch with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. And while beating a top-tier team once is tough, doing it twice is a different challenge entirely.
“It’s hard to beat a team twice,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said Sunday. “The game’s going to be played.
So how do you prepare to be your best? What is it that you’ve got to continue to do?
“You know who you are as a team. You have your identity.
You hang your hat on that. You go play the game.
You go play with confidence. You go play because you love the challenge.
You love the environment you’re going to get to be a part of.”
That identity DeBoer referenced? Right now, it’s the defense.
Led by defensive coordinator Kane Wommack - a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach - Alabama’s defense has been one of the stingiest in the country, allowing the 11th-fewest points per game. They’ve been opportunistic, physical, and smart - the kind of unit that can carry a team in December.
But if Alabama is going to take the next step - win the SEC, crash the Playoff, and make a legitimate run - the offense has to find its rhythm. And there are signs that it might be turning the corner.
The run game, which has been under the microscope for weeks, finally broke through in the Iron Bowl. It wasn’t just effective - it was dominant, producing the highest rushing total of the season against a Power Four opponent.
“We’ve been harping on our running game for weeks now,” Bernard said. “For it to come alive at the right time, and we’re peaking at the right time… We’ve just got to be better passing it and running the ball.
Which we will. We just have to do our job each and every play.”
That’s the formula. Clean up the mistakes.
Stay on schedule. Avoid negative plays.
And trust the defense to keep doing what it’s done all year.
So, the question heading into Saturday: Can the Alabama offense finally outshine its defense? If it does, this team becomes a whole lot scarier - not just for Georgia, but for anyone standing in the Tide’s path.