Has Alabama’s defense turned the corner?

Kane Wommack he had no interest in waiting on the sidelines to celebrate.

Alabama’s football defensive coordinator went right over the numbers to meet his team on the field. Wommack flexed. He pulled his fist. Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic then tried to get Wommack up, but Wommack decided to go for the chest. He was too excited for anything but a chest shot.

And for good reason. Alabama’s defense just stopped Missouri on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The goal line stand kept the Crimson Tide scoreless in the final minutes; No. 15 Alabama went on to beat No. 21 Missouri 34-0 on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

It marked the Crimson Tide’s (6-2, 3-2 SEC) first shutout of a Mississippi State conference opponent in 2020.

The fourth stop provided the signature play, but Alabama’s three turnovers became the catalyst for shutting down the Missouri offense. The Crimson Tide have collected 10 hits in their last three games.

Maybe, just maybe, Alabama’s defense has turned the corner.

“You’re only as good as your last play,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “You’re only as good as your last game. There are things you know you’re doing right. It’s something that’s for sure, there’s some good vibes when it comes to taking the football on defense.”

DeBoer wasn’t ready to declare that his defense had arrived by any means, but…

“They’re hunting him,” DeBoer said. “They anticipate a little bit. A little more attacking mentality. Not so much on their heels. Making every yard count.”

It didn’t feel like Alabama was doing that three weeks ago in the loss to Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide couldn’t get off the field in Nashville as the Commodores went 12-for-18 on third down.

The improvement on third down since then has been gradual. South Carolina went 7-for-15 the following week, Tennessee 6-for-14, then Missouri 3-for-13.

Add in the fourth down stop, and Alabama did well on its defense on key downs Saturday.

“They’re the ones who build the moment,” DeBoer said. “These are the positives you can take from today. Apply it and everyone looks at each other and thinks you can make the play and stop.

Faith seems to grow by the week. No, it’s not time to crown the Crimson Tide defense the best in the country. And no, it doesn’t necessarily have everything fixed with all problems eradicated.

But it’s hard not to notice the defensive improvement from Vanderbilt.

“We’re focusing on the little things,” safety Malachi Moore said. “Following everyone at practice. Make sure everyone gets to the ball. No walking on the field. Shirts tucked in. Making sure that if we screw up, we reload. Basically, it leaves no room for error. That’s the biggest thing we have to continue as a team to focus on. Just keep being hungry, but also keep playing the ‘Bama way and keep being disciplined.”

Now, it’s worth noting that the Tigers had a less than 100 percent starting quarterback in Brady Cook for much of the first half. Then his backup, Drew Pyne, entered the game. Pyne looked far from SEC starting caliber, to put it mildly.

Alabama has faced and will face much tougher offenses this season than the one it saw for homecoming. Still, a shutout of an SEC opponent is nothing to scoff at. In today’s game, they rarely appear.

That’s why DeBoer called timeout before Missouri ran a fourth down play at the goal line. He decided he needed to give his guys the best chance to stop the shutout and keep the game alive with 4:21 left.

“I wanted this for them,” DeBoer said, “because I know they’ve worked extremely hard and stayed the course.”

That patience appears to be paying off for Alabama. The progress is visible. In two weeks, the LSU game will reveal whether Alabama’s defense has truly arrived.

Nick Kelly is a beat writer from Alabama AL.com and Alabama Media Group. Follow X and Instagram.