Alabama Football: 3 reasons Crimson Tide will beat Notre Dame in Rose Bowl

2. The Tide defense will get after Ian Book early and often

Since the disastrous performance by the Alabama Crimson Tide defense against Ole Miss where they gave up 647 yards, they have been getting better. One of the biggest differences is the Tide’s ability to get after the quarterback and force rushed plays.

While the Tide do not have elite pass rushers this season, Alabama has been able to account for 74 tackles for loss and 32 sacks in 11 games. Senior outside linebacker Christopher Allen has been productive all season as he has 12 tackles for loss and six sacks.

True freshman outside linebacker and key pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. has started all season for the Tide. He has 43 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. In the past four games, he has stepped up his productivity, accounting for 20 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The Tide also have a tough, aggressive interior defensive lineman in Christian Barmore, who has 27 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.

The Tide defense will be facing a Notre Dame offensive line that can be tough but has been known to crack under pressure. The Irish have given up 23 sacks in 11 games this year. Their worst performance of the season was in the 2020 ACC Championship as they allowed six sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

The biggest keys for the Tide’s defense is to lock down the receivers of the Irish and make Ian Book stay in the pocket longer. If the defense avoids the easy scrambles from Book for first downs, it will have a great chance of completely suppressing the Irish offense.