Defenders face big challenge against high-octane offenses
My, how times have changed in college football since the last time Alabama and Notre Dame met.
The Crimson Tide rode the nation’s best defense into that January 2013 national championship matchup, yielding a paltry 184 yards and eight points per game.
Fast-forward to the new reality: Offense wins championships. Or at least it’s carried the top-ranked Tide, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State into contention heading into today’s College Football Playoff semifinals.
Alabama may have the nation’s best offense.
“This is not pro-I, let’s run it up inside and play great defense,” said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, whose team will face the Crimson Tide in Arlington, Texas. “They’re still playing fundamentally sound defense, but with the offenses as they are today, you know, it’s very difficult not to give up some yards.
“So you’re seeing fundamentally sound defense.
You’re still seeing the same principles. You’re seeing at times elite play in certain position groups at Alabama. And then an offense now that can rival the very best college offenses in the country.”
Only the Tigers, who play the Buckeyes in New Orleans, have an elite defense statistically among the playoff teams. The other three have been plenty good enough to support those high-scoring offenses.
But ‘Bama doesn’t rank higher than 12th nationally in the four major defensive statistical categories. Notre Dame isn’t better than 14th, and Ohio State has been stingy against the run and more generous to opposing passers. Then there’s Clemson, which ranks sixth in total defense, giving up 298.5 yards a game.