Defense wins championships? 'Bama sure hopes so

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) No. 4 Alabama has been dominating just about everybody, posting gaudy numbers and clearly ranking as one of the nation&#39;s best units.<br> <br> So what&#39;s all the fuss about?<br> <br> It&#39;s the Crimson Tide&#39;s defense that&#39;s been so dominant while the offense has been far from it. Defense wins championships, but do they win BCS championships?<br> <br> ``I still believe that. Everybody says that, but offense is so much more exciting to watch,&#39;&#39; safety Roman Harper said. ``As long as the offense scores enough points to win, we&#39;re not going to complain.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> So far, the offense has done that barely. Alabama isn&#39;t putting up any more style points than actual points, prompting plenty of questions about whether this is really a national title caliber team.<br> <br> Coach Mike Shula has one answer for that.<br> <br> ``Our team has found a way to win nine games now,&#39;&#39; Shula said. ``They&#39;re doing what you&#39;re asking of them. That to me is the most important thing above anything else. You&#39;ve just got to find a way to win the 10th game and whatever happens after that, happens.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) was leapfrogged by Miami into the No. 3 spot in The Associated Press rankings, but narrowly moved up a spot to third in the BCS standings.<br> <br> The questions persist about the offense following three victories that have come by pedestrian scores of 13-10, 6-3 and 17-0.<br> <br> And defense and special teams produced 14 of those points in last Saturday&#39;s shutout of Mississippi State.<br> <br> ``When you don&#39;t score a lot of points, all of a sudden it&#39;s not pretty,&#39;&#39; Shula said. ``I&#39;ve always said don&#39;t tell our defense or (defensive coordinator) Joe Kines that.<br> <br> ``Yeah, we want to score as many points as we can each and every week and then it will look pretty, I guess.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> That task will get harder from here on out with games upcoming against No. 5 LSU and No. 15 Auburn, who have two of the nation&#39;s top six scoring defenses.<br> <br> Alabama, meanwhile, has fallen to 74th in scoring offense and managed only one offensive touchdown in the last three SEC games. The two teams ranked above the Tide in the BCS standings Southern California and Texas are 1-2 in scoring offense.<br> <br> Alabama&#39;s slump began with a season-ending injury to receiver Tyrone Prothro and is now compounded by the loss of center JB Closer, both to broken legs.<br> <br> ``The scoring is not the concern,&#39;&#39; Shula said. ``The execution at times and some missed opportunities are the things that we&#39;ve got to get better at. We can do that easily, especially with a guy like Brodie (Croyle at quarterback) and the talent that we have. It can change just like that. We don&#39;t want our guys thinking, ``Oh, we haven&#39;t scored...&#39;&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Croyle is coming off his worst game of the season, with 116 yards and two interceptions against the Bulldogs to end his school-record streak without an interception at 190 passes.<br> <br> ``You&#39;d like to think if you&#39;re a competitor and you threw two picks the week before, you&#39;re going to come back and play the best game of your life basically on the biggest stage you&#39;ve ever played on,&#39;&#39; Croyle said. ``That&#39;s the mindframe I have. I totally expect to play the best game I&#39;ve ever played.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s what all these guys expect from me also. They expect me when it&#39;s crunch time to make the plays.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The defense has been taking care of most of the playmaking. The Tide now ranks first nationally in scoring defense, allowing 8.2 points per game, and is also in the top seven in run, pass and total defense.<br> <br> Safety Charlie Peprah knows those aren&#39;t necessarily the numbers most fans and poll voters want to see.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s an offensive world. Everybody wants to see points scored and touchdown runs and catches and things like that,&#39;&#39; Peprah said. ``The rankings have given us trouble because our offense has been sluggish at times.<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t think that&#39;s fair to criticize. We&#39;re winning ball games. It doesn&#39;t matter how we&#39;re winning, we&#39;re winning them.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> And, offensive coordinator Dave Rader said, ``I have yet to be around an ugly win.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)