Five Takeaways From Alabama’s Victory Over Wisconsin

MADISON, WIS. — Alabama had goals of silencing the notoriously hostile Camp Randall Stadium environment throughout the week and the Crimson Tide prevailed with a resounding 42-10 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday.

Last week, The Crimson Tide beat South Florida 42-16 at home. The final score didn’t reflect the quality of the game though as Alabama only held a one-point lead at 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter. The Tide then went on to score 21 unanswered points over the final six minutes.

However, Alabama’s fourth-quarter momentum against South Florida clearly continued on Saturday on the Badgers’ turf from practically start to finish. This dominant road victory, the first one in the Kalen DeBoer era, had plenty of things to dissect from it. Here are five takeaways:

Simply put Alabama’s 52.5 points per game over the first two contests of the season were extremely impressive and quarterback Jalen Milroe is perhaps the biggest reason why as he has struggled to NOT reach the endzone.

This continued on Saturday against Wisconsin as the true dual threat recorded 14 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while also completing 12-of-17 attempts for 196 yards and three touchdowns.

Milroe’s scoring numbers put him in elite company as the following quarterbacks have had three consecutive games of two-plus passing and two-plus rushing touchdowns since 2008: Florida’s Tim Tebow (2008), Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick (2010), Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch (2012), Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel (2012) and Milroe (Saturday).

After being benched prior to the third game of last season against South Florida, Milroe earned back the starting role the next week against then-No. 15 Ole Miss and had a stellar outing. This flipped a switch and the Tide won every game for the rest of the regular season, and its SEC Championship victory over No. 1 Georgia gave Alabama a spot in the four-team CFP. After three games into this season, it appears Milroe’s momentum toward the end of last year is still very much intact.

Despite the dominant victories in the first two games, Alabama’s negative-2 turnover margin ranked 104th out of 134 FBS teams. In fact, Michigan transfer defensive back Keon Sabb’s two interceptions in the season opener against Western Kentucky were the Tide’s only takeaways coming into Saturday.

But Alabama won that battle against Wisconsin due to their hard-hitting ability at all three levels of the defense. Linebacker Deontae Lawson, defensive back Malachi Moore, defensive lineman LT Overton and linebacker Que Robinson each forced a fumble and two of them were recovered by the Tide within Wisconsin’s 30-yard line.

While Alabama didn’t haul in any interceptions on Saturday, the Crimson Tide still interrupted the passing lanes throughout the afternoon. Wisconsin starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered an injury in the first quarter and backup Braedyn Locke filled his role for the rest of the game. Locke went 13-of-26 for 125 yards and Alabama recorded a very respectable seven pass breakups.

“Those two strips could have been really big for us,” DeBoer said during the postgame press conference. “Getting one early, just getting that momentum, it just becomes contagious. And I love it. The guys have a lot of confidence. We almost had, I think, an interception there with Keon early, too. So those guys are playing aggressive, playing competent, and they’re going to come into bunches, and I feel like we’re just the tip of the iceberg taking the ball away.”

Winning the turnover battle will be crucial once SEC competition begins, starting with the highly anticipated home matchup against No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 28. If Alabama doesn’t come out victorious in this category for that upcoming evening, the final score at Saban Field in Bryant-Denny Stadium may not favor the Crimson Tide.

There was a ton of hype around former Texas A&M defensive lineman LT Overton, as the former five-star recruit transferred to Alabama this past December. He was considered the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia and the No. 4 defensive lineman in the class. Overton was the fifth-highest-ranked recruit in the infamous class that sparked a war of words between former Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher and former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.

Overton played in 23 games across two seasons for the Aggies and tallied 48 tackles. The defensive lineman has a built-in connection to Tuscaloosa as his father, Milton Overton, served as associate athletic director at The Capstone from 2009-15. 

Overton was kept relatively quiet in the trenches during the Tide’s first two games, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday. In the first half alone against the Badgers, Overton logged six tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. His stats remained the same for the rest of the game but did add to Alabama’s plethora of pass breakups in the second half.

“You expect that from him,” DeBoer said of Overton’s performance. “He’s just going to be continually coming after you, you know, and it’s not just against one or the other, runner or pass, it’s both. He’s just a physical presence in there. Love the way he plays. It’s a business-like approach that he has, whether it’s in practice or games. I just got a lot of trust and confidence that he’s going to bring his best. And he fits so well within our scheme. I know we’re very confident, whatever it is, if he’s got something we’re asking to do, that he’s getting it done — making sure he takes care of his responsibility and then goes and eats and goes and makes plays.”

After his performance against Wisconsin, the competitive BANDIT position could be his to lose for the next couple of games, as months of excitement surrounding his name and status seemed to start to pay off on Saturday afternoon.

Before transferring to Alabama from Miami (OH) on April 21, kicker Graham Nicholson won the 2023 Lou Groza Award after making 27 of his 28 field goal attempts and converting on 35 of 37 extra point attempts. He came to Tuscaloosa to replace NCAA all-time scoring leader Will Reichard and was listed as an AP Preseason All-American First Team member.

Alabama’s explosive offense through the first two games didn’t require a field goal attempt, as the Tide very rarely reached fourth-down while over midfield. While this a good problem to have, like the turnover battle, once SEC competition occurs, field goal attempts will be an absolute certainty.

The first field goal opportunity of the season for Alabama came on Saturday, as Nicholson was ready to display his first impression to Crimson Tide fans. But the reigning “top college football placekicker” missed 46 yards out midway through the first quarter.

Of course, Nicholson shouldn’t be judged for one kick, but as previously stated, the Tide will need him multiple times per game for a large portion of the rest of the regular season. Hopefully he’ll shake this off before then and prove why he won the esteemed annual award not so long ago. To end this takeaway on a high note, Nicholson went 6-for-6 on extra point attempts and is 13-of-13 in that department through the first three games.

Hands down the biggest question coming into Saturday revolved around Alabama’s offensive line. Last week against South Florida, the Crimson Tide entered the fourth quarter with just a 14-13 lead. Offensive line penalties were harming Alabama all night as the starting front five finished the game with nine penalties, two of which wiped out touchdowns. Milroe was also constantly pressured throughout the first three quarters, making it very difficult to move the ball downfield.

A major reason for their struggles was due to the absence of left tackle Kadyn Proctor, who was a late scratch minutes before the season opener against Western Kentucky due to a shoulder injury. Multiple players on the line had to be moved around against South Florida, but the Freshman All-American’s return against Wisconsin made all the difference.

Milroe’s big day on both the air—when finding wide receivers Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard and tight end Josh Cuevas—and the ground were largely due to the extra time in the pocket given by the offensive line. The same goes for running back Jam Miller, who rushed for 71 yards on just nine carries, including a 34-yard touchdown built by a perfect shift by the front five.

“I thought they just did a consistent job of making sure Jalen could stay upright, wasn’t rushed, hurried,” DeBoer said. “It’s amazing how your play calls can just be so much easier when you’re in down and distances that are much more favorable when you can protect your quarterback and make every throw you could where there’s not throwaways where you’re getting hit. And I thought there was just good gelling considering it was really their first game action altogether.”

The sack and penalty numbers also decreased against Wisconsin as Alabama had two false starts and two sacks allowed. That said, the first sack was on a scramble by Milroe, which resulted in a one-yard loss, and the second sack put backup quarterback Ty Simpson on the ground with under three minutes left in regulation, as the game was already decided at that point.