Alabama’s Saban says offense more important than defense. Does TCU’s Patterson agree?
Alabama coach Nick Saban, regarded as one of the top defensive minds in the country who has won six national championships, told ESPN last week that he believes the college football game has changed.
Good defense doesn’t beat good offense anymore, Saban said, referencing Alabama’s 41-24 victory over Georgia earlier this month.
“Georgia has as good a defense as we do an offense, and we scored 41 points on them,” Saban said. “That’s not the way it used to be. It used to be if you had a good defense, other people weren’t going to score. You were always going to be in the game.
“I’m telling you. It ain’t that way anymore.”
Do TCU coach Gary Patterson and Baylor coach Dave Aranda agree? Patterson and Aranda, like Saban, have built reputations as top defensive minds in college football. Both were asked about Saban’s comments during the Big 12 teleconference on Monday.
“It’s getting harder and harder to play good defense,” Aranda said. “There were times last year where I would 100% agree with him.
“If an offense knows what you’re in and you’re either playing two-high to take care of this, or you’re playing one-high to take care of that, and they know the weak spot and they go to it and the guy they’re going to is a legitimate whatever [RB, WR or TE] guy, and can take it the distance, that’s what Coach Saban is referring to is that issue right there. I agree. I think it’s hard.”
Patterson wouldn’t go quite as far as fully agreeing with Saban’s take.
“I think good defenses help good offenses,” Patterson said. “I think if you can make people miss, and you have a good offense also, I think [defense will] always trump. But the offenses have to be close together and defense always wins out.”
During TCU’s 13-0 season in 2010, capped with a Rose Bowl victory, Patterson’s defense was the best in the country by allowing only 12 points a game.
Patterson went on to say that teams have to be able to do everything well — offense, defense and special teams — in order to compete for national championships. He pointed to LSU as having a complete team when it won the national championship last season.
Offensively, the Tigers had a great passing game behind quarterback Joe Burrow as well as a running game with Clyde Edwards-Helaire. And the defense played well under Aranda, who left his defensive coordinator position to take over at Baylor.
“You’ve got to be a complete football team if you want to win a national championship. I don’t think anybody that’s gotten to the top level hasn’t been,” Patterson said. “You have to do all of the above. For me, you’ve got to be able to do all three if you want to be successful.”
Patterson and Aranda will meet for the first time on Saturday. Kickoff between TCU and Baylor is set for 2:30 p.m. in Waco.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 2:11 PM.
