Alabama Defense 'Starving' to Find End Zone

The Crimson Tide defense has been great at forcing turnovers, but Alabama is part of the 18 percent of FBS teams without a non-offensive touchdown this season.

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) loses a fumble that is pursued by Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Jihaad Campbell (11) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated South Carolina 27-25. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— No defense in the SEC has been better at taking the ball away than Alabama. The Crimson Tide has forced 18 takeaways through eight games so far this season, which is tied for sixth best in the country.

Three of those 18 turnovers came in the Crimson Tide's most recent game, a 34-0 shutout victory over Missouri. Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is hopeful that his unit will be able to continue to build off the momentum of that performance as No. 11 Alabama travels to face No. 15 LSU this weekend.

"Coming out of the Missouri game there were things that (show) we're taking steps in the right direction," Wommack said Monday. "I think our players have a real emphasis to take the ball off of people right now. I think we've gotten 10 takeaways in the last three games, which is really encouraging. I'm seeing an emphasis on that from our coaches and players in practice, and those things are showing up on game day.”

Creating turnovers hasn't really been an issue, yet scoring on one of those takeaways hasn't happened so far. Alabama is one of just 42 of the 134 FBS teams to not have a defensive touchdown this season. There are only 24 teams in college football, including Alabama, that haven't scored a non-offensive touchdown of any kind on defense or special teams so far this year.

Alabama linebacjer Jihaad Campbell, who found the end zone on a fumble return against Tennessee last season, said the defense is "starving" to get back in the end zone this year.

"I’m not gonna lie, we’re hungry,” Campbell said after Tuesday's practice. “We try to take the ball away, whether that’s a strip, whether that’s forced fumbles, whether that’s interceptions, whatever. Whatever we can do to get the ball out of the offense’s hands and in our hands and, obviously, score a touchdown on defense, it’s gonna be great for us. We’re starving, starving bad.”

Alabama scored three non-offensive touchdowns last season: Chris Braswell's pick-six at Mississippi State, Campbell's scoop-and-score against Tennessee and Caleb Downs' punt return for a touchdown against Chattanooga.

The Alabama defense will have its opportunities on Saturday against Garrett Nussmeier. The LSU quarterback leads the SEC with 20 touchdown passes thrown but also has nine interceptions. Wommack compared him to NFL legend Brett Farve, who was a Super Bowl champion, multi-time NFL MVP and touchdown leader, but is also the NFL's all-time leader in interceptions thrown.

"I think he's an aggressive player, right?" Wommack said of Nussmeier. "Sometimes you live by the sword and die by the sword a little bit. We're a team that is certainly going to be focused on taking the ball off of people. We've got to be able to show enough looks and pictures and change some things up. Put eyes on the quarterback. Play man coverage. Do all the different things to be able to create some confusion we've been able to create with some really good quarterbacks.

"Taking the ball off people is really the identity of who we are as a defense. That needs to show up on Saturday night.”

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