Alabama Football: 5 takeaways from Alabama vs. Arkansas
By Dakota Cox
Alabama football’s takeaways vs. Arkansas
2. The defensive front is now a strength
The defensive line was young at the start of this year. DJ Dale started as a true freshman in 2019. Players like Justin Eboigbe and Christian Barmore still have plenty of eligibility if they want to use it. With younger players, the ability to get pressure was a concern this season.
That being said, this group has gotten better over the course of the regular season. This was easily their best performance yet. Christian Barmore was practically unblockable. Dale had a nice fumble recovery on a strip-sack by Chris Allen. Will Anderson had multiple sacks in back-to-back games.
This front is finally forcing sacks. Sacks might as well be a team statistic, but you have to credit the defensive front. With the young on the defensive line, they will be great for years to come.
What should really excite the Crimson Tide is the depth on the defensive front. We have talked about some great players, and we haven’t even mentioned Byron Young or Tim Smith. Phil Mathis has been improving. This group will be stacked for years to come, but they are already a strength in 2020.
Even the second unit was forcing fumbles in this game. Whether you are talking about depth or top-level talent, Alabama excites.