DALLAS — Anchored by players like A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama’s defensive line is intimidating enough that defensive coordinator Kirby Smart joked that the line was the reason he stayed at Alabama through the playoff instead of leaving to focus solely on Georgia after accepting the head coaching position.

“At the end of the day, it’s about these guys,” Smart said. “And it wouldn’t be fair to them to coach them all season and go through what we’ve been through as a unit and then not coach in this game.”

The defensive line is intimidating enough on its own, but the entire front seven is devastating to opposing offenses.

The goal isn’t to get into the quarterback’s head.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog world so in our mind, we trying to feast,” defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson said. “It’s like a pack of wolves out there on a hunt and we just try to go out there and dominate and get after whoever’s out there. Our mindset we just see blood and we try to get the blood.” 

Alabama’s defense has recorded an FBS-leading 46 sacks. Last year, the Crimson Tide had 32 sacks. The 2014 squad had 97 tackles for loss. This season, Alabama has 95 tackles for loss with at least one more game left to play.

“Oh, we hungry,” linebacker Reuben Foster said. “We hungry, like we are a pack of wolves, like coach Saban said, like throw marbles, throw marbles at the other opponent. You gotta throw marbles at ‘em. If you throw marbles on the marble floor, what would you do? You’d trip, fall.”

The front seven has registered 65 quarterback hurries. Last season the entire defense had 53.

“Yeah, no doubt,” linebacker Dillon Lee said. “We’re all running the ball. Everybody really dominates their space and we all trust each other. Everybody knows that we’re all going to do what we have to do so we can be successful as a unit.”

The defense is like sharks in the water, vultures even, Foster said.

“We’re a pack,” he said. “We are a pack, so a pack of wild wolves, that sums it all.”