Kane Wommack had no interest in waiting on the sideline to celebrate.
The Alabama football defensive coordinator moved right past the numbers to meet his team on the field. Wommack flexed. He pumped his fist. Then, offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic tried to dap Wommack up, but Wommack decided to go for the chest bump. He was too excited for anything but a chest bump.
And for good reason. The Alabama defense had just stopped Missouri on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The goal-line stand preserved the shutout for the Crimson Tide in the final minutes; No. 15 Alabama went on to defeat No. 21 Missouri 34-0 on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
That marked the first shutout for the Crimson Tide (6-2, 3-2 SEC) of a conference opponent since Mississippi State in 2020.
The fourth-down stop provided the signature play, but Alabama‘s three takeaways became the catalyst for halting the Missouri offense. The Crimson Tide has tallied 10 takeaways over the past three games.
Maybe, just maybe, the Alabama defense has turned the corner.
“You’re only as good as your last play,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “You’re only as good as your last game. There are things you know you do well. That’s something that is certainly, there’s some good vibes when it comes to taking the football away defensively.”
DeBoer wasn’t ready to declare that his defense had arrived by any means, but ...
“They’re hunting it,” DeBoer said. “They’re anticipating a little bit. A little bit more attacking mindset. Not so much on their heels. Making every yard count.”
It didn‘t feel like Alabama was doing that three weeks ago in the loss to Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide couldn’t get off the field in Nashville as the Commodores went 12-for-18 on third down.
The improvement on third downs since has been gradual. South Carolina went 7-for-15 the next week, Tennessee went 6-for-14, then Missouri went 3-for-13.
Add in the fourth-down stop, and Alabama fared well in its defense on key downs Saturday.
“Those are the moment-builders,” DeBoer said. “Those are the positives you can take from today. Apply it, and everyone kind of looks at each other and believes you can go make that play and get that stop.”
The belief seems to be growing by the week. No, it‘s not time to crown the Crimson Tide defense the best in the country. And no, it doesn’t necessarily have everything fixed with all problems eradicated.
But it’s hard not to notice the defensive improvement since Vanderbilt.
“We‘re honing in on the little things,” safety Malachi Moore said. “Watching everybody at practice. Make sure everybody is getting to the ball. No walking on the field. Shirts tucked in. Making sure if we do mess up, we’re reloading. Basically not leaving room for error. That’s the biggest thing we’ve got to continue as a team to hone in on. Continue to be hungry, but also playing the ’Bama way and continuing to be disciplined.”
Now, it’s worth noting the Tigers had a less-than-100% starting quarterback in Brady Cook for much of the first half. Then his backup, Drew Pyne, entered the game. Pyne looked far from SEC starting caliber, to put it mildly.
Alabama has faced and will face much tougher offenses this season than the one it saw for homecoming. Still, a shutout of an SEC opponent is nothing at which to scoff. In today’s game, those seldom occur.
It’s why DeBoer called the timeout before Missouri ran its fourth down play on the goal line. He decided he needed to give his guys the best chance to make the stop and keep the shutout alive with 4:21 left.
“Wanted that for them,” DeBoer said, “because I know they’ve been working extremely hard and staying the course.”
That patience looks to be paying off for Alabama. The progress is noticeable. Two weeks from now, the LSU game will reveal if the Alabama defense has truly arrived.
