UA defense comes up with big fourth-quarter stop

TUSCALOOSA | The University of Alabama defense bent on Saturday. It also broke, and even broke down.

But when it mattered most, the Crimson Tide was able to stop the 16th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks’ heavy-footed ground attack to get the ball back one more time, and did it just in time to give John Parker Wilson and the Alabama offense an opportunity to drive for a game-winning touchdown in a 41-38 victory.

Tide head coach Nick Saban elected to kick a field goal to cut the deficit to four points with 4:20 left in the game. It was a bold move, considering Arkansas had scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives, was on the way to rolling up 450 yards in total offense and Heisman Trophy candidate Darren McFadden had already rushed for 195 yards and two scores with the Razorbacks averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Saban, however, got some expert advice before deciding to go for the field goal on fourth-and-5.

“I did have confidence we could stop them,” Saban said. “I asked the defensive players, ‘If we kick a field goal can you stop them?’ They said they could, and I trusted them.”

It might have helped that McFadden was sidelined with a slight concussion, but backfield mate Felix Jones was nearly as effective, gaining 96 yards on 16 carries in relief.

“We had stopped them earlier in the game,” senior defensive back Simeon Castille said. “You can only stop them for so long. You can’t shut them down completely.

“Our coaches showed confidence in us and we were confident that we could go out there and stop them and get the ball back.”

On first down after the kickoff, Jones lost a yard as Tide defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry and linebacker Demarcus Waldrop wrapped him up. On second-and-11, Jones ran over right tackle for 7 yards before Keith Saunders tackled him, setting up a crucial third-and-4 situation. Backup running back Michael Smith came off the Arkansas bench for a 4-yard run before being run out of bounds by Castille to give the Razorbacks a fresh set of downs.

Jones again lost a yard on first down, with Lorenzo Washington and Marcus Cater converging for the tackle, and Alabama called timeout with 2:37 to go. Smith lost another yard on second down, with Gilberry and fellow defensive lineman Bobby Greenwood making the stop, and Alabama used its final timeout. On third-and-12, Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick threw incomplete, with outside linebacker Ezekial Knight defending on the play, forcing the visitors to punt.

Alabama got the ball back with 2:13 to go, and drove to victory.

“To give up that many points and come out with a win is really awesome,” Gilberry said.

The defensive unit took the field for its last stand after having been battered and run over by McFadden all night.

“Personally he has my Heisman vote,” Gilberry said. “He’s the best player in the nation.”

Tide defenders answered questions about themselves by making the big stop when it was needed.

“Can you stop them?” Gilberry said. “You start questioning yourself.

“We got the job done. We took the approach that we had to do it and we definitely got the job done.”

Saban found fault with Alabama’s defense, but said the final stand showed “a lot of character to get the ball back at the end of the game.”

Said Saban, “I’m not pleased with the way we played throughout the game. They whipped us up front, there is no doubt about that, but we didn’t execute what we intended to do some of the time, and they took advantage of that.”

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.