Alabama Crimson Tide pitched a shutout, but Kane Wommack wants more

For Alabama Crimson Tide Defensive Coordinator, Kane Wommack, a shutout of Western Kentucky was good but not good enough. As Kalen DeBoer said after the game Saturday, the Alabama football team has lots of "work to do" and that will be the case "all season long."

DeBoer and Wommack praised the Crimson Tide's performance against WKU but focused much more on the many areas in which Alabama must improve.

Kalen DeBoer said Saturday that Keon Sabb's two interceptions were key in setting the tone for the game. On Monday Wommack was clear that two takeaways were not enough. “I thought the two takeaways early were positive, but I did not think we capitalized on takeaways as a defense. I thought we had opportunities to score on defense multiple times and we did not make the most of those opportunities."

Wommack added that he also wants sacks to be turned into turnovers, "...sacks are great, but sack fumbles are way better to get the ball back for our offense right there on the spot. So those are things that the guys have really been challenged on."

Wommack's statement that will thrill Alabama Crimson Tide fans was "I did not think we met the standard of what we capable of as the defense there. I hope to see a response in our players, just in terms of their intentionality to take the ball away ..."

Video of Monday's comments by Kane Wommack, Nick Sheridan, and Kalen DeBoer can be seen below. Wommack begins at the 2:37 mark.

Wommack added that the Crimson Tide's tackling must improve, along with doing a better job of having eyes on the quarterback. Given the intensity of the defensive effort Saturday night, there is little doubt that Alabama defensive players match Wommack's desire for improvement.

How Alabama Crimson Tide Defense Compares

The general post-game response from Alabama Crimson Tide fans is that Wommack's defense has already shown it can be an improvement over last season. That is bold optimism given that Alabama finished the 2023 season with the SEC's No. 2 defense in average yards allowed per game. That stat was good enough to finish No. 18 nationally. Stats after one game are almost meaningless, but currently, the Crimson Tide is No. 9 nationally in Total Defense.