Wisconsin wrap-up: DeBoer’s first road win comes in relatively convincing fashion

For that brand of football fan who was hoping for some kind of meltdown in Tuscaloosa as a result of the transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer, Saturday’s game against Wisconsin is not the outcome they were looking for.

Alabama rolled to a 42-10 win over the Badgers with a performance that was consistent, effective and forward leaning. While the details would have likely been different had Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke not injured a knee while scrambling early in the game, Alabama had too much speed and too much explosiveness for the Badgers to handle.

It’s a theme through the first three games of the season and is apparently going to be a hallmark of the DeBoer game style here, at least as long as he has the personnel to run it. Alabama’s 600-yard output in the opener against Western Kentucky leaned heavily into explosive plays, to the point that Alabama couldn’t sustain drives because it couldn’t keep itself from scoring. Against South Florida, the Crimson Tide broke the game open in the fourth quarter with a handful of plays that lit up the scoreboard at crucial moments.

Against Wisconsin, it was more big catches from Ryan Williams, big runs from Jam Miller and a well-managed game from explosive QB Jalen Milroe, who did a good job of directing the offense and taking his shots when they were there. For those wanting to know what kind of offense Alabama intends to run – pass-heavy, run-heavy, fast, methodical, physical or finesse – the answer so far has been “all of the above.”

The game may not have felt like a record-breaker, but it was. It was the most points scored against a Wisconsin team at home in more than 15 years. It was also the worst defeat Wisconsin has suffered in Camp Randall Stadium in the same time period.

If there were any negatives to come from the game, it was from the injury tent. Qua Russaw, who has been a co-starter at Wolf linebacker this year, suffered a leg injury, as did third-team RB Richard Young. Alabama has been bitten by its share of injuries already in 2024, and losing a key contributor like Russaw will hurt if the injury is long-term.

Alabama was able to leverage its significant speed advantage in this game, which won’t show up nearly as much in two weeks against Georgia, if it shows up at all. But credit goes to the Alabama staff thus far for exploiting the advantages they have been given, especially when the Tide offense is on the field.

Here is the Five-Point Breakdown for Alabama-Wisconsin:

1. Offensive line followed up a tough outing and bounced back to lead the effort. Having Kadyn Proctor back at left tackle was obviously going to be helpful, as it not only put an elite player back on the field, it also allowed Alabama to move Elijah Pritchett to right tackle. Bama’s OL avoiding holding penalties a week after being flagged numerous times for the offense. Bama was able to run the ball effectively for most of the day, and the line did a better job of keeping Milroe protected than it did against USF. We’ve mused before that this year’s Bama offense probably resembles more of what DeBoer did at Fresno State than what he did at Washington, and if that’s the way Bama is going, the line will be the key component to success.
2. Tight end play was huge, both in the passing game and the running game. It wasn’t just Josh Cuevas’ touchdown reception that got our attention – a play that was masterfully designed, while we’re speaking of it – it was the way Alabama’s blocking schemes made heavy use of the tight end group. Robbie Ouzts’ pinch block on Jam Miller’s long touchdown run was a key moment, as was his seal block on Jalen Milroe’s first touchdown run. Tight end play is what separates DeBoer’s specific brand of offense from the Air Raid network of offenses as a whole, and he may have stepped into tight end heaven when he took over the Alabama job. The fact that any one Bama’s top five tight ends can make plays consistently has to make the coaches’ eyes sparkle going forward.
3. Milroe’s numbers aren’t eye-popping … until you get to the touchdown stat. Even today, Milroe’s total offensive output didn’t look like the stuff of legend – 196 yards passing on 12 completions, 75 yards on the ground – but then touchdowns get counted: Five in all, including three long TD passes. Alabama’s A-game does not consist of Milroe throwing the ball 45 times. The offense works best when Milroe gets about 10-15 touches as a runner to go with 20-something pass plays, and when that happens, the resulting output usually includes three or more touchdowns. This is why no team really likes facing him, because he can hurt defenses from all angles. Fans wanting a precision passing game will have to wait for the next quarterback. What they have now is a QB who is a threat to generate a score on any snap he takes, and that’s no bad thing.
4. Defense on third downs was a key factor for a second straight week. Alabama shut South Florida down on third down last week and continued the dominance this week in Madison. Wisconsin was held to just 3 first downs on 14 chances. There is debate on just how good Alabama’s young defense is or isn’t, and Alabama probably gave up a bit more on the ground Saturday than it would have liked, but this is two weeks running where Alabama has shown the ability to tighten up when the chips are down. As an honorable mention to the defense, we’ll add the ability to limit backup QB Braedyn Locke once he took over for Van Dyke. Locke was a non-factor and Alabama was able to pressure him and make him uncomfortable. Locke especially wants to get to the business of forgetting who L.T. Overton is, given the number of times Overton was in his grille.
5. The transition from Saban to DeBoer continues to progress smoothly. There are some things inherent to college football that you won’t find at the pro level, and one of those is the degree to which emotion and momentum matter in the college game. Few other programs have handled transition the way Alabama seems to have, especially when the magnitude of that transition is considered. For those who wondered what Alabama would be like under DeBoer, what’s starting to emerge is a team that isn’t always the smoothest but is frequently savage and opportunistic. If anything, intensity on defense has actually gone up from recent Saban teams, and the offense is slowly – but consistently – building around an identity of a boxer with a fantastic knockout punch. Alabama jabs and jabs and jabs, and then here comes the roundhouse. All three of Bama’s opponents have seen it in action so far. Alabama might not beat Georgia in two weeks, but it won’t be because the Tide didn’t get in its shots.

Follow Jess Nicholas on X at @TideFansJessN