Only once did Alabama’s defense go without a sack in a 2019 game. The same was true a year earlier, and while Nick Saban famously downplays the impact of that stat, those two games have something in common.
Of the three games Alabama’s lost in that span, these were two. The CFP title game blowout to Clemson was more than a play away from shifting the 44-16 outcome but last year’s 48-45 Iron Bowl loss to Auburn had a few crossroad moments.
And that’s only relevant today because Alabama completed its Week 2 win over Texas A&M without recording a sack.