Question: Does Alabama's 1980 defense not get enough credit?

[saturdaysarebet]

Does Alabama's 1980 defense not get enough credit?
- Only three teams scored 10 points or more against them.
- Only one team scored more than 19 points against them.
- They held NINE teams to seven points or less in a game.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Does Alabama's 1980 defense not get enough credit?
- Only three teams scored 10 points or more against them.
- Only one team scored more than 19 points against them.
- They held NINE teams to seven points or less in a game.

Proof that if you don't win the national championship, nobody cares what your stats are.


ALABAMA SCORING DEFENSE WITH RANKINGS
1977 - 11.6 (13th)
1978 - 14.0 (19th)
1979 - 5.2 (1st)
1980 - 8.2 (1st)
1981 - 12.6 (12th)

Bear in mind (pun intended) that the numbers in 1980 are better than they look:
1) the 35 points to Ole Miss, well, the game was never in doubt and 14 of those points were relatively late and thus against reserves (Yes, they still count but context)
2) the Notre Dame 7 points was on a fumble at our own 1-yard line.

In that 1980 Irish game, we actually had about 75 more total yards than the Irish did - even though we had a horribly inept offense compared to the past. We held them to fewer yards rushing AND passing AND total, and they had more penalties than we did. Problem is, we had 3 turnovers to their one - and one of ours was on our own one.

Given the 1980 team faced a tougher schedule than the 1979 team (whose schedule was a joke, although not their fault), the 1980 team was probably a better DEFENSE by far. (Notre Dame alone made the OOC much tougher in 1979, MSU was three times better, and LSU was about the same).

1980 was undone by a turnover prone offense that couldn't score (3 vs MSU, 0 vs N Dame).

 

[TideATL70]

I'm so glad to see this post. I've always felt 1980 gets a bit overshadowed being it followed a NC and then 1981 being Coach Bryant setting the wins record with 315. The Baylor team we destroyed in the Cotton Bowl that year was loaded. Crazy that 10 more points between 2 games and we are maybe??? playing UGA for the National Championship. I think Herschel would have probably gotten his 150 (I think he got 157 against ND) but would have loved to see it as UGA had zero passing game and a so so defense.