1. Alabama’s Defense is Already Playing Fast

First drive for Alabama’s new defense under Kane Wommack. The first thing we notice is Qua Russaw and Zabien Brown won starting positions. Alabama fans heard all offseason how mature Brown is and despite going into the transfer portal for Wake Forest’s Dashawn Jones the true freshman wins a starting job for the Crimson Tide. Subsequently, for most of the offseason we heard about Quandarrius Robinson at the Wolf, but Russaw wins the starting job. 

It was just a matter of time for Brown to become one of the Crimson Tide’s starting cornerbacks so you may as well throw him out there to gain experience against Western Kentucky. Russaw’s a former 5-star recruit in a position filled with question marks as the defensive scheme changed. He started for the Crimson Tide and showed he has the ability to man the position throughout the season. 

The first thing I notice in Alabama’s first five defensive plays of the season is the speed. We heard all offseason about Wommack’s defense enabling its defenders to play at top speed due to its simplicity and in five plays you can see it in a sack, a defensive tackle for loss, a pass-breakup and a screen that’s swallowed up. 

The game’s first play is a screen to a Hilltoppers receiver who’s met aggressively by DeVonta Smith, Zabien Brown and Malachi Moore. Jihaad Campbell turns and fits in his hole quickly corralling the ball career for minimal gain. 

TJ Finley finds his inside receiver for a short route over the middle on second down in between the Deontae Lawson and Campbell hook zones. No one did anything wrong here defensively, sometimes a decisive quarterback beats a good defense. What you like is the defensive pursuit. Campbell, Lawson and Keon Sabb surrounded the ball carrier as soon as he hauled in the catch limiting any big play chances for Western Kentucky. 

Western Kentucky tries to keep its passing game going on second down but Finley’s pass is too high to be caught. Brown does a nice job staying with the first receiver in the stack and staying tight to his man, but the incompletion is more about the missed throw than the tight coverage. 

On second down Russaw shows off his ability to set the edge. Sure, it’s against a Conference USA tight end, but the Wolf is immovable as the Hilltoppers attempt to flank him. Russaw’s win makes it easy for Lawson to bid his time in the gap before exploding for the tackle for loss. 

Alabama’s first third and long of the season allow Wommack to show his creativity. Campbell kicks down to play a modified edge, while Quandarrius Robinson gets his first snap in place of Russaw. Wommack kicks Jah-Marien Latham inside and sends James Smith into the game in favor of Tim Smith and Tim Keenan while lastly, Justin Jefferson enters to play in coverage next to Lawson. It’s a clear sign that Wommack likes these four as the Tide’s best pass rushers entering the season. Robinson and the trio beat Western Kentucky’s six-man front as the graduate senior explodes off the edge with speed for a huge sack on Finley. Robinson was past the right tackle before the lineman could get into his pass set showing he may just have what Alabama needs in third and long situations. 

2. Alabama’s Offense Starts Eerily Similar To 2023 Form

Alabama’s offense takes over on its own 31-yard line for the first drive of the Kalen DeBoer-era and a comedy of errors ensues. 

First, remember the Crimson Tide lost its starting left tackle Kadyn Proctor to an undisclosed upper-body injury in warmups, meaning the offensive line was in flux before taking its first snap. Second, Parker Brailsford and Tyler Booker both lose their helmets on the first snap of the game, bringing Olaus Alinen and Geno VanDeMark in on second down. Add a quarterback careless in the pocket and throw in a dash of third down confusion and you’ve got the perfect combination of calamities to derail any drive. 

The game opens with a give to running back Justice Haynes while Elijah Pritchett, Booker and Jaeden Roberts lead the action. The play ends as a four-yard carry, but weak blocks by CJ Dippre and Pritchett junk up the action and make it tough sledding for Haynes. Both players failed to win their box and thus Booker and Roberts are slower to their assignments and the play just isn’t executed at a high level. 

Alabama goes empty on second down as Haynes and Dippre split to opposite sides. Jalen Milroe’s got his eyes to the right side, looking at a route concept from Kendrick Law and Ryan Williams. Western Kentucky only brings four, but its edge rusher beats Prichett around the left side with speed and sacked Milroe. It’s an ugly rep as Milroe never shows awareness, but Pritchett is beaten so easily. Wilkin Formby’s man doesn’t get the sack, but the Tide’s new right tackle also struggled to maintain his block as it was a bad play all around. 

Before third down is started the Alabama receivers look a bit confused. The trio of Germie Bernard, Law and Williams shift twice with a lot of pointing involved before the play is started. Western Kentucky brings six rushers to try to get off the field on third down and while Milroe sees the play and chooses the right target his pass is just too far in front of Law for a completion and it’s a quick three-and-out.

3. The Transfer Portal Taketh, But it Also Giveth

Alabama lost a lot to the transfer portal over the offseason. One of its biggest losses was safety Caleb Downs to Ohio State. The Crimson Tide utilized the portal to convince Keon Sabb to transfer in from Michigan to step into the void left by Down and it only took two series for that to pay off. 

While the play isn’t the most impressive from an athletic standpoint Sabb shows his ability to read and react to the quarterback’s eyes as TJ Finley kept his eyes on his target the entire way. Western Kentucky tried a post-wheel concept with the wheel attacking Zabien Brown. Finley decided to throw the wheel as soon as Brown’s head was turned in coverage. But while Brown had his eyes focused on the receiver it was Sabb staring down Finley who calmly stepped in front of the pass setting the Alabama offense up on the 15-yard line. 

It was only a two-play drive but we also saw the first snaps of the season for LT Overton, Jahiem Oatis and Damon Payne, bringing our count of defenders in seven snaps to 17. 

4. Jalen Milroe is Still an Elite Athlete

After a disastrous first drive the Alabama offense looked like a unit that got its head screwed back on for drive number two. 

Nick Sheridan opens with our favorite formation, Pistol out of 12 personnel, signaling to Western Kentucky, God and Nick Saban in the luxury suites that it’s time to get downhill. Milroe moves Jam Miller to his right before handing him the ball. Commend the Hilltoppers’ defense for hunkering down, but Alabama’s front was just too big. Miller rams straight into the wreckage for a short gain to keep the Tide on schedule. 

From the 12 on second down Milroe takes a direct snap off the left side for a walk-in touchdown, reminding everyone that he’s the best athlete on the field. CJ Dippre and Elijah Prichett aren’t hung up on the line this time, giving Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts plenty of runway to get downhill. Booker picks up a man, but Roberts never has to as Sheridan schemed it up so well for the Tide’s first score of the season. 

5. Young Players Make Mistakes, But Talent Shines Through

The defense’s third drive features the first college snaps for true freshman Jaylen Mbakwe and Red Morgan as the Crimson Tide contributor counter moves to 19 on defense. 

Deontae Lawson drops a pick-six on the first play of the series as he just can’t quite hang onto TJ Finley’s pass but serves as another example of Alabama getting its eyes on the quarterback and its hands on the football. 

Second and 10 from the WKU-25 brings Finley’s next completion as he appears to have decided to throw this out route before the ball was snapped. He gets a good look for it as Mbakwe lines up nine yards off the receiver. The true freshman tries to drive on Finley’s pass, but is late and nearly lets the receiver get by him in the process. Mbakwe is an incredible athlete but the college game is just a tick faster than high school football and gets a good lesson right off the bat. 

First and 10 from the WKU-38 is our first impressive play by LT Overton. Overton, playing the Bandit, battles off a double team from the Western Kentucky guard and tackle, stays in his B-gap and takes down the Hilltoppers running back for a minimal gain. His effort goes to waste, though, as Alabama is called for too many men on the field, something Kalen DeBoer said after the game was a coaching logistical error. 

Red Morgan’s first college tackle is for a loss as the freshman from Central Phenix-City showed nice ability to read and react on first and short. Morgan zeroes in on the running back in the option and flies into the backfield for the stop to get his college career off to a bang. 

A Finley scramble and a tough pass interference call kept the Hilltoppers on the move, but first and 10 from the Alabama 38 caught my eye next. Alabama’s Tim Smith, Tim Keenan and Jah-Marien Latham comprise the front three while Quandarrius Robinson is getting more run at Wolf. Someone, between Latham and Robinson, it looks like Robinson, ends up in the wrong gap and Western Kentucky gashes for a quick 11-yard gain up the middle. It’s not detrimental, but a small sign of how important gap integrity is going to be in the Swarm D. 

The Crimson Tide get off the field after Keon Sabb records his second interception of the day. Alabama’s in a bit of a Cover Three look and Sabb is just playing the deep middle zone watching Finley. The WKU quarterback appears to be looking for the tight end down the seam but doesn’t like it and comes off it late to a route over the middle of the field. The route is potentially open at the college level but the window is notably small, making the decision questionable at best for Finley. Sabb had to be a bit more of an athlete on the second interception but still largely saw it coming the whole way. 

6. Jalen Milroe Show Progress By Keeping Eyes Up In Scramble Drill

Alabama opens up on the Hilltoppers 26 after a turnover and once again gets into the Pistol from 12-personnel. Haynes motions out of it into a traditional shotgun, but the message is clear after both turnovers. Get downhill now. 

Haynes only gets two yards on the first down carry as a few WKU defenders slip off blocks and into the hole. The Alabama offensive line to this point looks more focused on being in the right place instead of playing with attitude, a normal step for an offensive line working in a new scheme. 

WKU perfectly times up a safety blitz on second down to disrupt a Jalen Milroe QB-run. The safety follows a pulling Wilkin Formby straight to Milroe and the Alabama quarterback stumbles through the line of scrimmage. 

Third and six shows how far Milroe has come in the offseason. His underneath receivers are at the wrong depth and have to adjust for one other. His primary target Germie Bernard is covered and Elijah Pritchett gets walked back into Milroe’s lap, forcing him to move off his spot. Milroe shows maturity by climbing through the pocket, but instead of looking for his running lane he keeps his eyes up and passes to Kendrick Law on the underneath route. Milroe’s threat to run sucks the defense in, leaving Law plenty of room to run for the score after the reception. 

7. TJ Finley’s Body Language Says He’s Already Beaten

James Smith opens Alabama’s next drive defensively with a big individual win. He fights off the Western Kentucky guard and center to stuff the running back for just a yard. The former 5-star prospect has been impressive early.

TJ Finley throws his second down pass into the ground and already looks defeated despite the game still being in the first quarter. Finley tried to take the first option he found between Justin Jefferson and Deontae Lawson but just missed.

The interesting aspect of Alabama’s third and nine comes in the choice to rush Jihaad Campbell off the edge while dropping Quandarrius Robinson into coverage. Conventional wisdom says that’s the opposite of each player’s role, but Campbell was a former 5-star prospect as an edge and has shown exceptional ability to get to the quarterback. In this snap he folds his rush back and keeps Finley from scrambling down the field to get Alabama its stop.

8. Nick Sheridan and Kalen DeBoer Introduce College Football to Ryan Williams

Alabama takes over just its second possession in Crimson Tide territory after the defensive stop and it’s a bit of a mixed bag from Jalen Milroe. The 84-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams will be all anyone talks about, but let’s look at the good and bad here.

The Crimson Tide opens with a little modified HANK concept with Milroe manipulating the defense looking right upon the snap. His eyes keep the linebacker drifting and opens up CJ Dippre, who he finds over the middle for a gain of eight yards. It’s a quality play from Milroe that many will overlook, but an indicator that he’s not only seeing the defense but manipulating it. 

Second and short faces a cadence issue. Everyone on the line fired off the ball, except Parker Brailsford was late snapping it. Did Brailsford not know the count, or did he have an issue hearing Milroe in the backfield?

Jam Miller’s second down run for a first down is negated by a Kobe Prentice holding penalty on the outside. Prentice engages his man but holds on a little too long backing Alabama up further into its own end. 

Second down again shows why Elijah Pritchett didn’t win either tackle job during fall camp. It’s a route concept that appears to have two inside guys running stick routes or modified whip-routes, planning to get the ball out quickly. Unfortunately, Pritchett is beaten inside by his man, moving Milroe off his spot at the top of the drop, and jamming up the timing of the pass concept.Milroe avoids an illegal touching penalty and instead gains two yards on a scramble. 

Third down and now 13 after the penalties and miscues gives Alabama its highlight of the night as Milroe finds Williams for an 84-yard touchdown. Western Kentucky is caught in a Cover Two, putting the right hand safety in conflict with Germie Bernard and Williams. He opts to cover Bernard running the post and it’s Williams running free down the sideline. It’s certainly fun to see Williams score on his first touch as a college player, but the credit goes to DeBoer and Sheridan for dialing the right play at the right time. Williams was left uncovered on the secondary’s bust, making the outcome a foregone conclusion once the ball was launched. 

9. TJ Finley’s Playing Hot Potato

TJ Finley’s body language on the next Western Kentucky looks just like the last drive, defeated. Finley looks like the football is the last thing he wants right now as three quick passes all suffer dismal results. His first goes outside to a reciever who’s swarmed by a group of Alabama defenders. Jahiem Oatis knocks down the second at the line of scrimmage looking for a running back out of the backfield and the third misses everyone as Finley and his receiver weren’t on the same page on third down. While still in the first quarter one must wonder if Finley’s rattled by the sack and two interceptions he’s endured already.

10. Deja Vu on the Alabama Offensive Line

Details were a bit of an issue on the next Alabama offensive line as bobbled balls and errant snaps resulted in the Crimson Tide’s first turnover of the year. 

On first down Jalen Milroe clearly doesn’t catch the snap cleanly and therefore misses handing the ball off to Justice Haynes on the RPO. Milroe tries to follow Haynes but is stopped after just a yard. 

Kendrick Law shows off his famous physicality on second down as Alabama tightened its split to give Law more room on the outside. The Crimson Tide receiver carried and tossed his defender out of bounds after he gained seven on the play. 

On third and short 2023’s biggest problem reared its ugly head as Parker Brailsford snapped the ball over Milroe’s head. A pileup ensued and the Hilltoppers emerged with the ball for Alabama’s most negative play of the night. What happens? Brailsford is on time as evidenced by the rest of the offensive line moving in sync upon the snap. It’s just a matter of snapping the ball over the outstretched arms of Milroe, which is inexcusable. 

11. Defense Responds To Tough Circumstances

Western Kentucky’s first play started the Hilltoppers off well in Alabama territory. Running back Elijah Young slips inside a Jah-Marien Latham tackle attempt and pinballs through the defense for six yards. How will the Crimson Tide defense respond after being put into a short field after the turnover?

Fairly well as Tim Smith battled to stop a quarterback draw and Jihaad Campbell, once again on the edge, forced an early TJ Finley pass on third down. Alabama did get fortunate with the missed field goal, but a good effort keeps the shutout in tact. 

12. Alabama’s Explosive Running Game

The Crimson Tide take over on offense backed up in their own end. How about a two-play, 89-yard drive to respond to the bad snap turnover?

Western Kentucky sends six on first down and Jalen Milroe escapes for a 39-yard scramble. Milroe had his eyes on Germie Bernard, but the Washington transfer was mugged at the line of scrimmage, jamming up the timing of the play. The defensive holding added even more to the big play and the Alabama offense is rolling. 

Motion on Alabama’s next play shortens the field and Jam Miller takes the carry for 39 yards and a score after squirting through the offensive line. Alabama’s eye candy and formational strength to the left made it a footrace between Miller and the safety, showing that the Tide can score anytime from anywhere.

13. Alabama’s Defense Bends But Doesn’t Break

Brayson Hubbard and Zavier Mincey entering the game brings Alabama to 21 total players on defense in the first half. Western Kentucky converts on two fourth down attempts and almost a third as the Hilltoppers are still looking for their first points of the game. 

Alabama played Mincey along with freshman Red Morgan and Jaylen Mbakwe as Western Kentucky nickeled and dimed their way down the field. When was the last time the Crimson Tide had three true freshman playing in the defensive backfield at once?

Despite Finley and the Hilltoppers’ best efforts the group ended up short on fourth down as Deontae Lawson and Tim Keenan combined for three of the final four tackles on the drive. While the Tide did fail on its first two attempts to get off the field on fourth down it’s important to note how few offensive plays Alabama had run to this point. The Crimson Tide mustered 28 offensive points on just 16 plays, leaving the defense on the field throughout the first half. 

14. Justice Hits His Home Run

The Crimson Tide offense likely was looking to take the air out of the ball, practice and end of half situation and give the defense a break, but that’s not what Justice Haynes had in mind.

The redshirt freshman took two carries for 95 yards to keep the offensive explosion going. We get our first Robbie Ouzts sighting and the tight end leads Haynes through the line on first down.

The Georgia product showed everyone how special he is on the next play as he exploded for 85-yards through the middle of the defense. Tyler Booker and Elijah Pritchett do a nice job washing down the left side of the defensive line while Jaeden Roberts and Wilkin Formby pull from right to left to open the hole. While Kalen DeBoer and Nick Sheridan would have liked to have used more time, it’s a beautiful picture of what happens when the offense is executed well.

15. Tyson Helton Benches TJ Finley

After the Hilltoppers last drive made it all the way to the 5-yard line before stalling out it’s time to try something different. Tyson Helton pulls the plug on TJ Finley and gives Caden Veltcamp a turn under center but not before successfully burning the rest of the first half clock out.

Alabama played numerous true freshman on defense in the first half of the first game and took a shutout into the locker room.

16. Alabama’s Offense Sputters to Start Second Half

Alabama’s Jam Miller picks up in the second half right where he started with an eight-yard carry on first down. What happened next was nothing short of head scratching.

CJ Dippre’s defender beats him at the point of attack and is able to stop Miller on second down for no gain setting up what should be an easy third and short conversion for Alabama.

Western Kentucky rushes five on third down and Alabama’s offensive line does a poor job picking it up. The left side gets a hat on a hat, but the right side leaves a free rusher that automatically attracts Jalen Milroe’s attention. Milroe escapes the pocket instead of hanging in and delivering a ball to Kobe Prentice or Germie Bernard at the sticks. His choice backfires as WKU forces him to the sidelines before he can scramble for first down yardage.

For all the success the offense found in the first half with big plays the Crimson Tide will want to develop more down-in, down-out fundamentals in order to be successful.

17. New Quarterback Same Result

Alabama’s defense still ooks fast as we open the second half. The Crimson Tide brings in 22nd defender of the night in Keanu Koht who immediately collapses the pocket, with help from Jahiem Oatis, to force Veltkamp off his spot and into scramble mode.

Veltkamp gets the ball out quickly and horizontally on second down but his receiver can’t get around Deontae Lawson. On third down we see one of the first bad angles of the night as Keon Sabb flew in through the secondary to try to make a stop. Every yard is hard to come by for Western Kentucky and a block in the back penalty sets them behind the chains.

Cole Adams has been fielding punts all night and while the Oklahoma product never breaks one loose, you can see how dangerous he is with the ball in his hands. 2024 won’t be the year to go to the restroom during special teams plays.

18. Jalen Milroe Is the Best Athlete in College Football

The Crimson Tide’s offense is cruising through the opener so let’s give Richard Young, Josh Cuevas and Emmanuel Henderson their first touches of the season.

The play of the drive came on third and four as Jalen Milroe found Germie Bernard on a flag route to keep the chains moving. Milroe caps it off with a fake sweep quarterback carry to score his fifth touchdown of the night. While there’s still things to improve on, it’s clear to see the work that Milroe’s put into his game in the offseason.

19. Western Kentucky Is Out of Options

The Hilltoppers have gone to the backup quarterback. They’ve gone hurry up. They’ve slowed down. They’ve run screens, draws, sweeps and more to try to attack the Alabama defense from anyway imaginable. Regardless of the outcome you must give Tyson Helton credit for the myriad of ways they tried to move the ball. They continue here in the third quarter but the collective speed of Alabama’s defense makes them too much to face on Saturday night.