The Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 SEC) has allowed opponents to get inside the 20-yard line 14 times so far in five games. The other team has scored eight of those 14 times (57 percent), which is the third-best red-zone D in the country. But the Tide has only allowed a touchdown two times. That's 14.3 percent, easily the best in the country.
The closer a team gets to the goal line, the better Alabama's defense seems to get. If you're going to get in, you've got a better chance from the 33 than the 3, it sometimes appears. The Tide's physical front is just that tough.
South Carolina is actually third in the country, having allowed just four touchdowns in 16 red-zone trips for opponents in four games.
As successful as Auburn was, gaining 492 total yards, even it had a fourth-and-goal from the 1 turn into a missed field goal attempt.
"We probably spend as much time practicing in the red zone as anywhere I've ever been," Gamecocks defensive head coach Ellis Johnson said. "I think our players are comfortable when they get down there. They feel confident."
A year ago, Mark Ingram carved up the Gamecocks for a career-best 246 yards. Ingram had 178 yards without getting into the end zone, until he led a self-reliant 68-yard drive that ended in a 4-yard score.
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