Why Alabama football must be ready for 'the little stuff' vs IU defense
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Ryan Grubb is “fired up.”
The Alabama football offensive coordinator is eager to face Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl: the No. 1 team in the country, the team with a Heisman Trophy winner, the team with a “heck of a quarterback (and) staff.”
And with the Hoosiers defense, Grubb knows Alabama has its hands full.
The stats say as much. Indiana has the second best scoring defense nationally, one that allows just over 10 points per game and 13 touchdowns all season. Indiana has the fourth best total defense nationally. And Indiana has the third best rushing defense nationally.
Grubb said Indiana is disciplined, the textbook definition of a unity that is “exactly where they’re supposed to be.” But the Alabama offensive coordinator admits it’s not the flashy things that set the Hoosiers apart. The highlight-reel players are not the deadly ones for Indiana.
“One thing I see that we have been challenging our guys on: they defeat blocks,” Grubb said. “I wish I could tell you something way more sexy than that, but they are really good at the little stuff. That’s what you see from good defenses is teams that defeat blocks, run to the football, tackle well, force turnovers. They do all the little things really really well. That’s what we have to be ready for.”
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson said he’s “impressed” with what the Hoosiers show on film, seeing a disciplined defense that “makes mistakes bigger.”
Alabama center Parker Brailsford repeats the refrain of the Hoosiers being disciplined.
“They don’t mess up on, almost, anything,” Brailsford said.
Grubb sees it when running film.
“There’s plenty of plays on film where the play’s developing, they got a shot, it looks like it’s going to be well executed,” Grubb said. “And then they just, simply, defeat the block. They win at the point of attack.”
Simply put, it’s good smash-mouth football, Grubb said.
But Alabama running back Jam Miller doesn’t see a difference.
Yes, he said, Indiana is a good football team. But there’s nothing that the Hoosiers are doing that sets them apart from the Crimson Tide.
“Everybody’s there, they do the same thing we do,” Miller said. “We eat, sleep, breathe. It’s just a whole (other) opponent in our way.”
Alabama takes on Indiana in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Thursday, Jan. 1.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama must be ready for ‘the little stuff’ vs Indiana defense
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