It is the most overstated saying in all of sports, but it constantly rings true: Defense wins championships.
Nine total touchdowns and 2,387 yards of total offense are what Alabama’s tenacious defense allowed all season. To put that in perspective, Baylor and Washington scored 17 touchdowns and accounted for 1,397 yards of offense in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Going into the national championship game, Alabama was already the No. 1 ranked defense statistically. Media members debated which defense was better, but a shutout in the national championship ended the discussions.
“We felt like some people may not have realized how good we were as a defense,” safety Mark Barron said. “Some people thought LSU had the better defense, but I always felt we had the better defense and the better team, and we proved that tonight.”
The Crimson Tide played with a chip on their shoulder all game. The entire defense was flying around, swarming defenders and gang tackling nearly every time an LSU player touched the ball. The Tide only allowed 92 yards of total offense. LSU only crossed the 50-yard line once, late in the fourth quarter.
“We knew that if we played our style of football, we could dominate these guys,” defensive lineman Josh Chapman said. “We came out and proved to the world why we are the best team.”
In their first meeting, LSU ripped off 148 rushing yards. This time around, defensive coordinator Kirby Smart drew up a game plan that held the Tigers to 39.
“Kirby Smart did an outstanding job in making adjustments in the game,” head coach Nick Saban said. “He’s done a wonderful job with our defensive team all year long, and I certainly hope that everybody realizes all that he’s contributed and all the other coaches on our staff have contributed in helping develop the right sort of character and attitude in our players to get this kind of high level of performance on a pretty consistent basis.”
From start to finish, Alabama never took their foot off the gas. LSU’s offense never got into a rhythm because Alabama’s defensive players all stepped up and made plays.
“It was just great execution by great players on a great defense,” Lester said.
Going into the season, there were whispers of how great this Alabama defense could be. After their stellar performance on Monday, the Alabama defense showed the world they had lived up to the hype.
“We work so hard in practice, so the games are just fun for us,” Barron said. “We don’t get tired, and it’s just a time for us to go out and dominate our opponents.”
