ALABAMA FOOTBALL: Mt. Cody trimmed down

TUSCALOOSA — There’s less girth around Mount Cody this spring, but Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody knows that less is more.

The Crimson Tide’s stopper in the middle of the defensive line moved his game from physical freak — at 6-foot-5 and what was once 420 pounds — to All-American last season.

Playing around 370 to 380 pounds, his contributions to Alabama’s nationally ranked defense were evident. The Crimson Tide gave up 74.1 yards per game on the ground last year — second in the nation. His debut against Clemson set the tone for a surprising season.

But nothing ticked him off more than forcing third-and-long last season and then being pulled in passing situations. His size and stamina made him a liability in pass-rush situations.

Coming off the conditioning program, Cody says he’s playing at 354 pounds and is seeing benefits daily.

“That’s helped me out big-time,” Cody said. “I’m able to do a lot more things that I wasn’t able to do when I was heavier. I’m quicker off the ball and using my hips more, just using my hands more. My footwork is getting better.”

His speed is up, his stamina is up and so is his desire to chase a quarterback on third-and-long.

“That was my big motivation, to slim down a little bit and get better on the pass rush so I won’t have to come out on third down,” Cody said.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said Cody’s challenge will be playing to his enormous potential consistently.

“He got hurt last year, missed a few games and really wasn’t the same when he came back,” Saban said. “If we can improve his mobility a little bit, he might become a little better pass-rusher for us and push the pocket in the middle — which, to me, is the most important thing about pass rush.”

The coach said Alabama’s philosophy is “to defend the middle of the field.” Preventing a quarterback from stepping up in the pocket is a priority.

“He could do it last year, but he couldn’t sustain it,” Saban said. “And we need for him to be able to do that. I think he’s made a tremendous amount of progress toward that. He’s had a really good spring, he’s had a good offseason and he’s probably in the best shape he’s been in in a long time.”

Cody was a consensus All-America pick last season after making 24 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and a unanimous first-team All-SEC pick.

He and his experienced defensive line teammates — ends Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Deaderick and backup nose guard Josh Chapman are all back — have controlled things this spring against a rebuilt offensive line.

Friday’s second scrimmage saw the offense produce 66 yards on the ground on 43 carries. One of those was a 30-yard gain by Ivan Matchett working against the third team, long after Cody’s day was done.

The defense also recorded nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

“The guys up front, I think, we’ve really done a good job improving our pass rush,” Saban said about his defense.

Asked about Cody specifically, Saban said last week, “He’s got his weight down a little bit more, he understands the system a little bit better, so I’ve been pleased with the way he’s been playing. He made a lot of progress.”

Saban said his centers, William Vlachos and converted guard David Ross, have performed well this spring. He also said that they will be better after battling an experienced defensive line day after day in spring practice.

“He’s a pretty good center,” Cody said of Vlachos. “Antoine (Caldwell) was pretty much the best I ever went against, but Vlachos, he’s strong, has quick hands, quick off the ball. He still tells me I’m a lot to handle, though.”

A little less mount has made Cody a lot tougher to conquer.