In terms of game time, it has been exactly three hours, 27 minutes and 54 seconds since the Crimson Tide last surrendered a touchdown.

During the third quarter of the Texas A&M game, Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight connected a 25-yard pass that bumped his team into the lead for the first time. Ultimately, the Crimson Tide won, but that shot downfield was an eye-opener for the defense.

“After that touchdown, we knew we had to play better,” University of Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson said.

That was a month ago, and not a single opponent has made its way into the end zone since. Alabama didn’t relinquish any more points to Texas A&M. Then, LSU was shut out. Mississippi State and Chattanooga both recently snuck in a single field goal each, but that’s it.

Running back Damien Harris said it makes the offense’s job easier if it doesn’t have to worry about scoring a high number of points every game, but he still jokes that Alabama’s offense could give its counterpart a run for its money.

The defense begs to differ.

“We have a great defense, and it would be hard for anybody to score against it,” Harris said. “I was just trying to boost our offense a bit.”

Although the defense kept the Mocs from adding six points, Anderson said it felt like the Crimson Tide gave up 21, not three. He was embarrassed. Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen wasn’t happy with the defense’s performance either.

The 184 yards of total offense accumulated by Chattanooga was too much.

“We stepped up when plays needed to be made,” Allen said, “but as a whole, it definitely was a sloppy game for the defense.”

It was also the first time this season Alabama did not sack the opposing quarterback. Every other game, it has done so at least three times.

The Crimson Tide believes it has improved since the beginning of the season.Alabama is No. 2 nationally in scoring defense, holding its opponents to an average of 11.4 points per game. That comes from being No. 1 in rushing defense, allowing just 68.9 yards per game, and No. 13 in passing yards allowed at 183.7 on average. The Crimson Tide also leads the nation with nine defensive touchdowns.

“Their work speaks for itself,” Harris said.

The Crimson Tide may be stopping its opponents from adding points to the scoreboard, but the Texas A&M game was also the last time Alabama recorded a non-offensive touchdown, when Allen returned a fumble 30 yards to score.

Alabama now has to take on an Auburn team that is averaging 34.1 points per game, and UA head coach Nick Saban believes the Tigers are going to be the most challenging group the Crimson Tide has faced.

“It doesn’t really matter what we’ve done in the last three weeks,” Saban said. “It matters what we do next week, and that’s really what we’re focused on here.”