As day began the transition into night, Nick Saban embarked on a quest for a team identity on Saturday.
Alabama wanted to prove it could be “dangerous,” maintain focus through the fourth quarter and showcase the Crimson Tide “standard.” Luckily for the packed Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd, Middle Tennessee State provided ample room for growth and error.
Saban’s 195th win in 17 seasons was — by college football standards — a snoozer. The No. 4 Crimson Tide (1-0) smashed the Blue Raiders (0-1), 56-7, while working in three different quarterbacks. The offense, led by a promising five touchdowns from Jalen Milroe, wasn’t punished for slight miscues and the defense was never threatened.
Still, Saban knows improvements need to be made, especially with No. 11 Texas coming to town next Saturday.
“Overall, I thought we did good job,” Saban said of Alabama’s offensive line. “We did a really good job in protection. When we got sacked it was running back who didn’t block his guy. I thought they did a good job. I think that we’re gonna have to have that kind of (offensive) balance we’d want to have in the future. Just gotta keep on working on it ‘cause I’m sure we’re gonna play some really good front-sevens down the road as well.”
Milroe kept the offensive moving with his one-play-at-a-time mentality, gaining chunk yards through the ground or air — finishing with a team-high in rushing yards (48 yards) and passing yards (194 yards) for five total touchdowns. When Seth McLaughlin struggled with a couple of early snaps, rolling one back in the red zone, it turned into Milroe’s 21-yard touchdown run.
The Tide produced 41 rushing yards on the first drive, 205 total. It started the night with a trio of runs on 3rd-and-1 and three straight runs from the 8-yard-line for Alabama’s second score. And when Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson checked in, the trenches kept churning. Both backup quarterbacks handed the ball off before taking it themselves to score a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Milroe then showcased his big arm, ripping crossing routes downfield in front of sturdy blockers. The highlights were a 47-yard bomb to Isaiah Bond and a 48-yarder to Jermaine Burton, each for points. Aside from a couple of weak throws and a missed opportunity or two to throw the ball away, Milroe delivered in his first opportunity as the starter.
The defense, to its own credit, limited errors, yielding just the one scoring drive. Alabama only had one penalty, a holding call on special teams, and remained physical. On the visitor’s opening possession, Caleb Downs and Malachi Moore rotated quickly on a Blue Raiders’ bubble screen and popped the crowd with an early tackle for no gain.
“A big hit early in the game kinda set the tone for everybody else. It feels good to see a guy make a hit. It allows us to know we playing fast, we playing physical,” McKinstry said. ” … It makes you want to play fast and physical. I feel like its a dominion effect. Us being a team, us being a secondary, we feed off each other.”
Even without Moore and UAB transfer Jaylen Key in the second half, both exited due to injury, the MTSU didn’t make the final score look any better. Middle Tennessee’s quick-strike offense totaled 211 yards compared to Alabama’s 431.
But as Saban said, tougher opponents are coming, and Week 1 was just Alabama’s initial chance to establish itself in 2023.
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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.
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