It still has to continue to get better, but the pass rush for Alabama’s defensive line is improving.
Since its matchup with Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide has forced four sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries in meetings against Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi State combined. This led to 27 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, five interceptions and one touchdown.
The improvement up front also paced Alabama to generating eight shutout quarters of football on defense, including a complete game shutout of Mississippi State (41-0) on last week.
Some of its success has come from the play of Byron Young.
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According to Nick Saban, the sophomore at defensive end dropped weight over the summer and possesses the quickness that not too many players have on the line. He mentioned that with the Tide working LaBryan Ray (elbow) back from injury; it will have to rely more on Young.
Through six games, he has 11 total tackles — including three for loss. A native of Laurel, Miss., Young came to Alabama in its 2019 recruiting class and had a strong freshman season.
He recorded 23 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one breakup and one quarterback hurry through 13 games.
The 6-foot-3, 292-pounder brought a lot of energy on the field against Georgia and Tennessee, collecting at least one tackle for loss in each game. Young has been a huge reason behind the Tide’s push to get into the top-20 nationally for scoring defense. Currently, it allows 22 points per game — which is tied for 25th in all of college football at this point.
On Wednesday, Phidarian Mathis (redshirt junior) said it has been ‘amazing’ to see how Young has developed.
“Byron Young has been surprising because when he gets into a game, it comes out of no where,” Mathis said. “We really need that spark on the defensive line. We needed him to step up and take it as a motivation, because all the young guys are stepping up. For him to step up too, it has been crazy to see how Byron has come along.”
Mathis could not stop smiling when describing his teammate.
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He was on the starting line with Young and Christian Barmore in a dominating performance versus the Bulldogs.
As a trio, the group created a consistent push that led to two sacks, six tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and nine breakups. Alabama’s pass rush is starting to gel at the right time and with LSU next on its schedule, it has another opportunity to show Nick Saban its growth.
Young has been a force thus far and he expects to continue.
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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.
