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The Magnificent Seven are thriving in Tuscaloosa.
Nope. The surviving members of The Clash aren’t reuniting anytime soon, and one of the greatest movies of all time is not being remade. But Alabama is making a case for having one of the best front sevens of all-time in college football, and the scary thing — at least for its opponents — is that Nick Saban’s team still has some unfinished business this season.
Here’s a look at the guys who have helped the Crimson Tide defense roll to — a sheer coincidence — seven straight wins entering Saturday’s home game against Charleston Southern.
A’Shawn Robinson, defensive end: The junior from Fort Worth, Texas could be Alabama’s most versatile defensive lineman. He not only leads the Crimson Tide with 8 QB hurries, the 6-foot-4, 312-pounder has been in on 34 total tackles — including 7 for loss — and has 3 sacks, 2 pass breakups and a fumble recovery. On top of that, how many other guys his size have the ability to do this?
Jonathan Allen, nose guard: The junior from Leesburg, Va., has emerged as Alabama’s top pass-rusher as evidenced by his team-leading 11.5 tackles for loss and 9 sacks. The 6-foot-3, 283-pounder has 25 total tackles overall along with 5 QB hurries, 4 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles. He projects to be a defensive end in the NFL.
Jarran Reed, defensive end: At 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds, he’s nearly an identical bookend to Robinson in terms of size. The product of Goldsboro, N.C., leads all of Bama’s interior linemen with 45 total tackles and also has a sack among his 3.5 tackles for loss, 6 QB hurries and 2 pass breakups. The senior is rounding out his collegiate career, and at least one veteran NFL scout is projecting him, Allen and Robinson to go in the first round in next year’s NFL Draft.
Denzel Devall, Jack linebacker: The senior from Bastrop, La., has overcome an ankle injury he suffered in last year’s loss to Ole Miss to be productive again for Alabama. If he continues at his current pace, the 6-foot-2, 252-pounder has a chance to exceed his career high of 29 total tackles, which he had in 2013. He also has 5 QB hurries and one sack among his 4 tackles for loss and 2 pass breakups.
Dillon Lee, Sam linebacker: Even in a handful of starts this season, the senior from Buford, Ga., has made key contributions, such as his interception of LSU QB Brandon Harris in Alabama’s 30-16 victory on Nov. 7. Overall, the 6-foot-4, 242-pounder has made 15 total tackles and has added a sack, a QB hurry and a pass breakup.
Reggie Ragland, Mike linebacker: The pride of Madison, Ala., is what makes Alabama’s defense go. The senior leads the Tide with 82 total tackles — including 5.5 for loss — and is averaging a career-best 8.2 stops a game, well above last year’s pace of 6.6 per contest. An excellent run-stopper, the 6-foot-2, 252-pounder also thrives against aerial attacks, with 5 pass breakups and 3 QB hurries to go along with 2 forced fumbles. But his value to the defense goes beyond his impressive numbers, as this recent Tweet would indicate.
Reuben Foster, Will linebacker: Alabama’s 2nd-leading tackler behind Ragland with 50 total stops — including 5 for loss — the junior from Auburn, Ala., also has 7 pass breakups to share the team lead with defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder also has 2 QB hurries and a sack this season.
Ten games into the 2015 campaign, the Crimson Tide leads the SEC in rushing defense (77.1 yards allowed per game) and total defense (278.1) — numbers in which it also ranks 2nd and 4th, respectively, in the FBS. It’s also 1st in the conference and 2nd in the country with 38 sacks, already eclipsing last season’s total of 31. Those numbers certainly are impressive, but they aren’t the only reasons why Alabama’s front seven has been so great this season. The Tide’s perfect mix of run-stopping and pass-rushing defensive linemen, coupled with its solid linebacking corps, is the best in the country and could very well lead Bama to yet another SEC and national championship this season.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
