Through the first five games of the season, Alabama’s secondary looked like it could cost the team a chance at the College Football Playoff, but since the team’s loss to Ole Miss, the group has hit its stride. In the past five games, the secondary has registered seven interceptions while giving up six passing touchdowns. The team has allowed an average of 196 passing yards per game while giving up just 11 touchdowns through the air, which ranks 23rd and 19th in the nation, respectively.
In the team’s most recent win, the secondary picked off Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott three times, putting an end to the Bulldogs hopes of an undefeated season and likely Prescott’s Heisman chances.
“I do think our secondary has improved throughout the course of the year, and getting the picks today were big,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said after the win. “I also think we minimalized explosive plays. We didn’t allow any last week at LSU. Even though they had quite a few yards, they had to go the hard way most of the night.”
One of the unit’s best performers in the last two games has been safety Nick Perry. Perry, a native of Prattville, Alabama, knocked down a pass on third-and-10 in overtime in the team’s win against LSU and registered an interception and a career-high 12 tackles in Saturday’s win against Mississippi State.
“I really don’t know, I think it’s confidence,” Perry said on why his play has changed recently. “Getting back in the groove of things and making a couple of plays out there.”
Another reason for the secondary’s improved performance is the elevated play of cornerback Cyrus Jones. Jones leads the team in passes broken up while registering two interceptions in the team’s last three games.
“Cyrus has been our most consistent corner, in my opinion,” Saban said earlier this season. “He’s a lot more confident. He knows what to do. He’s got a lot better discipline in terms of eye control and because of the experience he got last year.”
The Maryland native has also played some of his best football in the team’s last two games. He broke up a fourth-and-10 pass to win the game during overtime of the LSU game and then picked off Prescott in the end zone to end a Mississippi State drive.
One of the constants throughout the year in the secondary has been the consistent play of safety and Bednarik award semi-finalist Landon Collins. He currently leads the team with three interceptions and is second on the team with 67 total tackles.
