Alabama football defensive coordinator Kane Wommack gave a wide-ranging assessment of the defense Monday after the USF game. He praised some aspects. He talked about those that frustrated him. There was one element that drew more ire than most.
“Extremely disappointed in the lack of takeaways that we were not able to create,” Wommack said. “Their team did. They created three of them. We were minus-three in the turnover margin, which is absolutely unacceptable by our defense.”
The week prior against Western Kentucky, Alabama (2-0) had two takeaways in the first quarter alone thanks to Keon Sabb’s interceptions.
“It has to be something that we focus on, day in and day out,” Wommack said. “It’s what we preach. It’s who we are. It’s what we believe in. It did not show up in this game. It’s something we have to continue to push and pressure and focus on getting that done on game day.”
The lack of takeaways didn’t cost Alabama the game; the Crimson Tide still beat South Florida 42-16. But when the game was close late into the fourth quarter, a takeaway could have certainly been helpful.
Wommack was also disappointed by the number of explosive runs Alabama gave up. But he also praised many of the things his defense did, including getting stops on key downs, keeping South Florida to field goal attempts over most red zone trips.
“I thought, from a defensive standpoint, we showed up in some critical moments in the game, which was encouraging to see,” Wommack said. “Some younger players stepped up in those moments as well. I thought the leadership of our defense showed up on the sideline and showed out on the field as well. We had eight 3-and-outs in the game. We had 13, what we call, ‘game-changers.’ I’ve gone over those things with you guys as well. From a situational down standpoint, I thought we were dominant in the game.”
Next up, Wommack will get to test his defense on the road. The Crimson Tide will face Wisconsin on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) at Camp Randall Stadium.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
