How Alabama Improved on One of Its Worst Stats in Week One

Looking at the numbers of why Alabama's turnover margin against Middle Tennessee was a step in the right direction from a season ago.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jaylen Key's second-quarter interception during Alabama's win over Middle Tennessee was a highlight for the Crimson Tide defense, but it may have been overshadowed by the end of the night because of the eight touchdowns scored by the offense.

However, when putting Key's interception in the context of Alabama's turnover problem in recent seasons, it becomes more significant. 

Turnovers are something constantly emphasized by head coach Nick Saban and were a fixture for most of his defenses at Alabama. But forcing turnovers was a major struggle for the Crimson Tide last season. 

For reference, Mark Barron had seven interceptions for Alabama in 2009. Eddie Jackson and Minkah Fitzpatrick had six apiece in 2015 and 2016 respectively.  The Alabama defense totaled seven interceptions as an entire unit in 2022. A Crimson Tide defensive back didn't record an interception last season until Terrion Arnold's in week six against Texas A&M. 

According to Arnold, the art of the interception for a defensive back is the balance of risk and reward.

"I would say as a DB you have to be a risk taker," Arnold said. "Ultimately when they score a touchdown, you’re the one on the back end so obviously the fans who don’t know anything about football, they always look at you. I would say you just have to know when you want to take those risks. Ultimately in a game 50-50 balls you have to win those kinds of matchups.”

Add on Kendrick Blackshire's forced fumble and recovery in the fourth quarter, plus the offense and special teams' ability to hold on to the ball against the Blue Raiders, and Alabama finished with a +2 turnover margin. 

That number might not seem very impressive, but it is better than any regular season game in 2022 within that statistic. Alabama only had four games all of last season with a positive turnover margin. 

2022 Alabama football game-by-game turnover stats

Opponent	Opponent Turnovers	Alabama Turnovers	Alabama Turnover Margin
Utah State	0	1	-1
Texas	0	0	0
Louisiana-Monroe	1	2	-1
Vanderbilt	0	1	-1
Arkansas	1	1	0
Texas A&M	1	4	-3
Tennessee	2	1	+1
Mississippi State	1	0	+1
LSU	0	1	-1
Ole Miss	1	1	0
Austin Peay	3	3	0
Auburn	2	1	+1
Kansas State (Sugar Bowl)	2	0	+2
Season Totals:	14	16	-2

"We didn’t have a lot of turnovers last year, so it was great that we were able to get two today, and we’ll continue to get more," linebacker Chris Braswell said after the game Saturday night. 

While Saban of course saw missed opportunities or moments for correction when looking back at the film, Alabama's performance against Middle Tennessee was a step in the right direction. Granted, it is a small sample size– just one game, but Alabama still was able to accomplish something it didn't throughout the entire 2022 regular season. 

"We had a third ball on the ground that we probably should’ve gotten," Saban said Monday. "We didn’t turn the ball over, which is a real plus offensively or on special teams. You always want to have a positive turnover ratio, so we’re +2, so that’s a positive thing. I thought there were times where we could’ve had a little better ball security, which we will point out to the players. There were some other opportunities where we maybe should’ve gotten some balls out."

Obviously, turnover margin isn't just reliant on what the defense does. It also depends on how well the offense is able to hold on to the ball and make good decisions when throwing, running or blocking. 

Heading into the season, one of the concerns with quarterback Jalen Milroe was turnovers. In his lone start against Texas A&M a year ago, he had three touchdowns, but he also turned the ball over three times (two fumbles and an interception.) 

Milroe had three total interceptions on the season in 2022, but was turnover-free in the win over Middle Tennessee. 

"That's one area I definitely want to improve on, just protect the football," Milroe said. "That's the key thing you said and no matter who it is at quarterback position, the biggest thing we want to do is protect the ball."

Another struggle area for Alabama last season was penalties, but the Crimson Tide finished with just two penalties Saturday night. Turnovers and penalties can often be the difference in winning or losing a game. Alabama will want to maintain control again in both areas with Texas in town this weekend. 

Neither team turned the ball over in last year's down-to-the-wire matchup, but one interception or forced fumble could completely change the momentum in this year's rematch. 

"When you’re emphasizing turnovers and not turning the ball over, those are always things you’re trying to focus on," Saban said.

See also:

How to Watch Week 2: Alabama vs. Texas