The jury is still out on whether Pete Golding is the man for Alabama moving forward at defensive coordinator; however, the Crimson Tide has looked better on defense since the Ole Miss game.
It has not played like the recent groups of the past, but we are starting to see gradual improvement.
After shutting out Georgia in the second half, Alabama held Tennessee scoreless in the first and fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium on last week.
Jeremy Pruitt saw his offense move the chains just four times on third down (16 tries) in a tough loss at home. While it converted twice on fourth down, the Volunteers had neither a 100-yard rusher nor a 100-yard wide receiver.
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The Tide forced at least one turnover for a second straight week as Malachi Moore created a fumble, recovered the ball, and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown.
Alabama now has two non-offensive scores this season from Moore and Daniel Wright.
Despite a strong performance versus the Bulldogs, Tide fans want more consistency from DJ Dale at nose tackle.
He was a force two weeks ago in the middle, but did not have the same impact with the Vols.
The group of Byron Young, Christian Barmore, Phidarian Mathis and Christopher Allen have been consistent. Barmore is starting to become more of a leader up front, while Young brings a lot of quickness and nastiness to his game.
For a second consecutive week, Young had a moment where he dominated his opponent in a one-on-one battle and blew the running back up in the backfield. He has the potential to be an excellent defensive end. The sophomore from Mississippi collected four tackles, including one for loss against Tennessee.
Christian Harris, sophomore at inside linebacker, led the Tide with 10 total tackles.
His focus was a lot better, in terms of his reads, assignments and tackling.
Along with Harris, Dylan Moses looked a little better in the same areas. Moses had six tackles, with one resulting in a loss of yardage. If there was one area in need of improvement, it would be at safety for Alabama. Wright and Jordan Battle were burned on assignments by the same player versus the Vols.
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Jalin Hyatt, a true freshman at wide receiver, ran by Battle for a 38-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He would then victimize Wright on a 48-yard reception from Jarrett Guarantano in the third quarter. Wright has either been feast or famine for Alabama on defense. As for Battle, he cannot have opposition get behind him at strong safety. He has to improve his speed.
Patrick Surtain II gave up his first touchdown reception of the year to Josh Palmer.
Prior to Palmer getting a 27-yard score, Surtain had a team-high three pass breakups. He and Josh Jobe both played well in the matchup as cornerbacks, yet it is the safety spot for the Tide that needs to clean it up.
Although the defense is getting better, it has to face an air-raid attack of Mike Leach and Mississippi State this week.
Much focus, execution and discipline will be needed at practice.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
