BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — For Alabama and LSU, defense is more than just a vital part of the game.
It’s who they are.
Both teams have dominated the defensive rankings in recent years, and this season is no exception. Top-ranked Alabama lost six starters off last year’s team in the NFL draft — including three first-rounders — but the Crimson Tide still leads the nation in every major defensive category. No. 5 LSU ranks in the top 10 defensively, despite losing three players to the NFL and Heisman finalist Tyrann Mathieu to personal problems.
How do they do it? Both teams have top players, of course, and the defensive coaches at each school are among the best in the nation. But there’s also a mindset that’s passed down from one class to the next.
