Alabama Football: Defense answers the bell against Ole Miss

Alabama Football Linebackers: A

With every passing week, I become more and more confident in my assertion that Bama’s linebackers are the best in the country. The group continued to dominate against Ole Miss, even after an ankle injury ended defensive captain Deontae Lawson’s afternoon.

True sophomore Jihaad Campbell (7 tackles) filled in admirably, with Trezmen Marshall and Kendrick Blackshire adding three stops apiece from their inside linebacker spots.

This was likely the biggest game of Campbell’s young career after missing the beginning of the season with a knee injury, and he looked like a future superstar. He is an incredibly rangy athlete that also showed his physicality in this game, punishing Jaxson Dart with one of the biggest hits of the college football season to this point.

On the edge, junior Dallas Turner and senior Chris Braswell are quickly becoming the type of game-altering duo that many projected they could be in the offseason. They regularly collapse the pocket and wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks, and are equally stout against the run.

Turner notched five tackles against Ole Miss (including 3.5 tackles for loss) and was in Dart’s face all game with two sacks, two quarterback pressures, and a forced fumble. Braswell added 1.5 sacks of his own from the opposite side.

For the season, Turner has recorded 7.0 tackles for loss (T-2nd SEC) and leads the SEC with 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Braswell isn’t far behind, tied for third in the league with 6.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.