Crimson Red Sports

TUSCALOOSA -- As he stood at the podium fol lowing his team's 38-14 trouncing of Arkansas, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was -- dare I say -- almost giddy.

He heaped praise on his players and coaches and fans.

He poked fun at the media.

He overexplained what happened in the game so everyone would understand just how incredible it was.

And the big one: he went long in the news conference, actually appearing as if he wanted to hang out and chat some more.

It's tough to blame the guy.

This was a good day for a defensive coach like Saban.

He and his staff put together a complex, constantly evolving defensive plan to stop what might be the most talented group of receivers in college football. And his players -- his college level players -- went out and executed that plan to perfection.

"I'm really proud of the way we played on defense," Saban said.

He went on to heap praise on defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who made a ton of in-game calls that made the difference.

Saban compared the defensive scheme to ones ran in the NFL because of its complexities and its ever-changing alignments.

"It's always complex but there were a lot more calls in the game," defensive back DeQuan Menzie said of the Crimson Tide's defense. "We changed up a lot."

This is Alabama football. This is Saban football.

While the rival across the state is making headlines with an offensive setup that's as tricky and slippery as you'll see, Saban and his coaches are doing similar work on the defensive side.

The difference, of course, is that the lay person has no idea exactly what they're doing. After all, it's easy to spot a wideout reverse or statue-of-liberty play.

It's not so easy to spot a defensive lineman dropping into pass coverage so pressure can be applied at a different location.

When the defense takes the field, we have no real idea what we're looking for.

Despite our testimonies of love for the defense played in the SEC, our understanding of it boils down to: Less points = good.