Prior to the Western Kentucky opener, we asked the question of how Alabama’s new defensive alignment would fare if and when things went a bit sideways.
We didn’t get that question answered against the Hilltoppers. We absolutely got it answered against the South Florida Bulls.
The answer? Pretty darn good.
Alabama corralled QB Byrum Brown for a second consecutive year, the defensive line ran up an impressive stat sheet and Bama got just enough plays from the secondary to snuff out a fourth-quarter rally from the Bulls, who continue to improve as a program but are still too talent-deficient at a few key spots to consistently play (and win) against bigger, better teams. Offensively, however, Alabama was mostly stuck in the mud for three periods, and it took a late shakeup on the offensive line to allow the Crimson Tide to pull away.
Alabama’s offense was so discombobulated at times that it seemed like the defense was going to take up a permanent residency on the Saban Field (there’s one that’s going to take some getting used to) turf. Alabama lost the turnover battle 3-0. It lost the penalty “battle,” but just barely, 13-11. We’ll discuss that later, but neither team deserved the level of scrutiny they got from the boys in black and white.
What we learned that offers the reason for the most optimism is that this is a team with a lot of fight. The defense could have been excused for letting the offense dig its own grave, but it consistently answered the bell every time the offense either coughed up the football, or did something almost just as bad, like give up an approximately-20-yard sack. South Florida may have scored on four trips into the red zone, but three of those were field goals.
It seems almost ridiculous to say, given that Alabama replaced one of the greatest defensive minds in football history with one of its most decorated young up-and-coming offensive minds, but if Alabama is still hanging around the playoff picture at the end of the year, it just might be because of the defense. The change in defensive line play, the more impactful linebacker play and the ability to put the screws down in the shadow if the Tide’s own goalpost is starting to give the feeling that Alabama might be playing with a bit more cushion every week than it originally thought.
But even if that’s true, going minus-3 in the turnover game and having an offensive flow that resembled an old golf course sprinkler – going around in circles, spitting all the way – is going to get Alabama in trouble against teams of like talent levels.
The final ten minutes of the game showed what this offense is capable of. It was triggered, to at least some degree, when Alabama brought Elijah Pritchett off the bench to replace Wilkin Formby at right tackle. It probably had more to do with Alabama’s superior depth at that point in the game, but Pritchett deserves kudos for playing hurt and making a mark on the proceedings nonetheless.
Wisconsin awaits, and it will be a road game in a very hostile environment with a morning kickoff, none of which this team has seen so far in 2024. If Alabama finds itself trying to dig out of a hole in Camp Randall Stadium, a lot of things that happened tonight on offense can’t happen then – the lack of focus, the general skittishness of the quarterback, and most of all the number of penalties. Otherwise Kalen DeBoer’s honeymoon will be shorter than anyone expected.
Here’s the Five-Point Breakdown for Alabama-South Florida:
1. DL limited the USF running game and also harassed QB Byrum Brown to the point of disruption. Alabama held South Florida running backs to 102 yards on 22 carries, with 19 of those yards coming on one play. Alabama did an especially good job of putting the backs in a box in the first half, which caused South Florida to have to get out of its preferred gameplan fairly early. QB Byrum Brown had a terrible night passing, going 15-of-35 for 103 yards, similar numbers to what Alabama held him to in Tampa last year, and again couldn’t hit anything downfield against the Bama defense. Byrum ran for 108 yards on 23 carries, also a similar performance to the one he put up in 2023, but the defense was able to stop drives in the red zone. Alabama’s defensive tackles were a big reason why a lot of this yardage was mostly empty: DT Tim Keenan recorded 9 total tackles, 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks and also was credited with 1 QB hurry. Statistically that’s one of the best performances by an Alabama tackle in many years. Tim Smith put up 5 tackles, 0.5 for loss and 2 QB hurries, one of the better games of his career. Quandarrius Robinson added 7 tackles and a sack from the Wolf position, and L.T. Overton got 4 QB hurries from the Bandit spot. The new DL playstyle seems to suit Alabama’s veteran linemen just fine, and is something to build on once the meat of the schedule starts.
2. OL looked like it needed a dress rehearsal before starting the main performance. Three sacks and 3 QB hurries allowed isn’t unmanageable – USF’s line gave up 4 sacks and 10 QB hurries by comparison – but the numerous holding flags and general angst made it look worse than it probably was. Alabama started Tyler Booker at left tackle, probably the first time he’d played tackle in a live-fire situation since his true freshman season, and he looked like … a guard playing tackle a lot of the time. Geno VanDeMark got the call at left guard with Booker displaced to tackle, and he settled in well enough over the course of the game after a rough first quarter. Right tackle was a problem, though, as Wilkin Formby struggled to deal with USF’s strongside edge rush and accumulated several penalties, although one holding call – when a DE slipped and fell at Formby’s feet off the snap – was bogus. Alabama finally got some continuity late when Elijah Pritchett subbed in for Formby, and we’ll see how things go there next week if Kadyn Proctor is able to return at left tackle. Formby was one of the top performers in the opener, so this unfortunate setback is hopefully something he can work around. The numerous errors up front were a contributing factor to some of QB Jalen Milroe’s struggles, though, and must be fixed quickly.
3. Milroe’s footwork failed him at times, and some old habits came creeping back into the picture. Milroe tweaked an ankle twice in the early going, and having to deal with a rebuilt-on-the-fly OL didn’t help. But some of the mistakes made Saturday were just basic in nature. Milroe still has issues with pocket feel, far more than one would expect from a player this far into his collegiate career. One of the sacks he took – more than 18 yards in the backfield – was a play even most freshmen don’t make. Milroe has at least embraced the QB run portion of the playbook, and his aggressiveness on those plays is welcomed, especially how he seemed to resist being thought of as a “running quarterback” in 2023. But he finished with 12 carries for 2 yards, the sack yardage wiping out most of his gains. Like the running game, Milroe seemed to finally build up some heat in the fourth quarter, and the quick decision to throw to Ryan Williams on a play that turned into a 43-yard touchdown was a nice read and choice. It appeared the coaches were able to re-center him late in the game after things got away from him a bit in the middle quarters, which is certainly good news. But Milroe needs to keep a more level head throughout full games, especially as the schedule gets more difficult.
4. Route tree selection and general playcalling felt a bit off. This goes back to point No. 3, because if these calls were all coming from the bench, Milroe wasn’t being done many favors for a large swath of the game. Alabama seemed to abandon the midrange passing game altogether in quarters 1-3. Downfield shots are nice, and Milroe throws them better than most, but Bama needed some more variety in the play selection. It seemed like the Crimson Tide were determined to establish the run and then look downfield for bigger gains, but the frequent penalties made that approach erratic. At the same time, either Alabama was choosing not to attack the intermediate areas of the field, or Milroe was passing up those chances. It almost makes one wonder whether Alabama was sitting on part of its playbook in preparation for tougher opponents, but if that’s the case, it almost bit the Tide in the rear end. We’re not really sure what to think without viewing a larger body of evidence.
5. While not as many people played this week, the commitment to playing more players remains clear. Alabama again went deep into the depth chart, and did it early. Four cornerbacks had played by the time the half came around, something unheard of during Nick Saban’s tenure. Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones made yet another key stop on a receiver behind the line of scrimmage late in the game. Elsewhere, Alabama went to young Jordan Renaud early on along the defensive line, with Renaud actually lining up in the Wolf spot for a couple of snaps. Reserve LB Justin Jefferson played enough to record 10 tackles, and we’re hoping Alabama takes advantage of the appeal process for the targeting foul that ultimately chased Jefferson from this game. If it sticks, Jefferson will have to miss the first half of the Wisconsin game as well, and there were many times tonight where it looked like he was a better fit for what Alabama was doing at the moment than Deontae Lawson. If he has to sit out, either Justin Okoronkwo or Cayden Jones will be the primary backup linebacker – but not to worry; Alabama played both of them against USF, too. The potential loss of punt returner and backup wide receiver Cole Adams will hurt a bit, but Alabama has given enough snaps to Emmanuel Henderson Jr. and Caleb Odom that it should be able to work around the problem somewhat. Developing depth is a long play, but Alabama seems committed to making it work.
Follow Jess Nicholas on X at @TideFansJessN