Alabama Football: 3 reasons the Tide will roll over Auburn

2. Dominant defense

Does anyone else feel like this defense doesn’t get talked about enough?

Alabama has set such a high standard on this side of the ball, and produced such a staggering number of NFL Draft picks in past years, that a great unit like this one falls under the radar a bit.

The numbers tell the story of another in a long line of great defenses though. The Tide are 17th nationall in total defense. They’re 12th in team sacks. They’re top 30 in red zone defense, third down defense, and turnover margin.

This defense probably won’t break the Draft records that other Saban defenses have, but it is a great unit relative to the rest of the sport.

Former Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has engineered a defense that is allowing just 17.4 points per game and gave up 30 points on just one occasion.

While the Tigers began to find their offensive rhythm prior to the New Mexico State debacle, that happened over a three-game stretch against Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Arkansas. The Tiger offense struggled against LSU, and the defense was responsible for keeping the Georgia game close.

All the evidence suggests Alabama should have a strong defensive showing on Saturday.