Alabama’s defense has been stifling, allowing 16.4 points.
Opponents’ have averaged 78.5 rushing yards per game, 2.6 rush yards a carry and a completion mark of 51.4 percent. Alabama’s front seven has accounted for 24 sacks.
Linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson both have been anchors this season.
Ragland, a senior, leads the team with 71 total tackles. He has five tackles for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Robinson, a junior, has 26 tackles and a half sack. He adds 2.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, a fumble recovery and eight quarterback hurries (team-high) to his stat sheet.
Both Ragland and Robinson were named semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award Monday, courtesy of the Maxwell Football Club. The honor is presented annually to the best defensive college football player. Either Ragland or Robinson could be the first Crimson Tide defender to win it.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @ESPN_Future.
