Alabama’s return to Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium was a triumphant one, winning 73-0 over Louisiana-Monroe.
While last week’s version of good, bad and ugly saw a lot of negatives in what was a miserable showing, this week will see a lot more positives. Here is the plenty of good and the very little bad and ugly seen in the Crimson Tide’s blowout over the Warhawks.
The good
Quarterback play. It was a marvelous day for the Alabama quarterbacks under center, with the three signal callers combining for a whopping eight touchdowns.
Ty Simpson had nothing short of a brilliant performance, completing all 17 of his passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing in a score from eight yards out. He looked significantly improved in the pocket and also showcased better ability to work off script, not to mention a beautiful touchdown pass he threw on the run to Isaiah Horton.
“There’s some times when he scrambled this week where it just felt like he had it under control,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said. “I just thought that the game was slower for him. He was just able to go through progressions that first week to second week, that’s what you needed to see.”
Backup Austin Mack came in for a few drives, one of which was in the second quarter with the first-team offense, and he also looked strong, completing eight of 10 passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. His strong arm was on display, as his passes had some extra zip to them.
But some fans’ favorite part of this entire game was getting the chance to see freshman phenom quarterback Keelon Russell play, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. He completed four of his six passes for 65 yards and two scores.
Russell showcased all his tools that might make him a franchise quarterback in the future, especially on his first passing touchdown to Cole Adams, demonstrating his pocket awareness and his accuracy. He followed it up on his next drive with another impressive touchdown pass, this time to walk-on receiver MJ Chirgwin.
Kevin Riley. The redshirt freshman running back continues to be the early surprise of the season for the Crimson Tide, going from the fifth-string to essentially the lead running back in starter Jam Miller’s absence.
Riley had 11 carries for 69 yards, once again showcasing his burst and feel at the line of scrimmage. He also showcased that he can be a weapon in the passing game, catching a team-high six passes for 45 yards.
“There’s some things that he can do that are a little different from the rest of the group there,” DeBoer said. “I like the way he picks up his knees and runs hard.”
Even when Miller comes back from injury, it’s safe to assume Riley will still be getting plenty of touches as he continues to make the most of his opportunity.
True freshmen showing out. With Ryan Williams out due to a concussion, true freshman Lotzeir Brooks drew the start at wide receiver and looked to be a weapon.
Brooks snagged four catches for 58 yards and showcased his ability to make defenders miss, with 44 of his 58 yards coming after the catch. He showcased both his ability to make catches in traffic and work in space, even drawing some Jaylen Waddle comparisons.
AK Dear may have been the fifth and final running back in the game for the Crimson Tide, but he made his presence felt in his first career game as he took a 56-yard carry to the house late in the game. He led all ball-carriers with 76 rushing yards in just five carries.
Defensive shutdown. After last week’s rather forgetful showing in Tallahassee, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s defense responded in a big way, pitching a shutout of the Warhawks.
The most impressive part may have been how many different players on the Crimson Tide defense performed well, as 12 players logged a tackle for loss. Defensive tackle James Smith led the way with three tackles for loss as he looks primed for a breakout season.
Another positive was the turnovers forced, which were the bread and butter of Wommack’s defense last season. After forcing none against Florida State, the Crimson Tide forced three against Louisiana-Monroe, with Justin Jefferson recording an interception and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and QB Reese forcing fumbles.
Effort and physicality. It was exactly the response fans of Alabama would want to see after it seemed like many different players were jogging and not going full-sprint against the Seminoles.
Crimson Tide defenders were swarming to the ball-carrier and laying big hits, two of which forced fumbles that the Alabama offense recovered. On the offensive side of the ball, players were being physical with their blocking and allowing holes to open up.
Through the entire four quarters, it didn’t seem like the team slowed down one bit. It looked like a team that was playing with everything it had, one that looked like it cared. That, to many fans, was the best part about watching the game.
The bad
Finishing the sack. This is a minor issue in an otherwise perfect game, but there were plays in which the Crimson Tide got in the backfield but couldn’t finish off the play on the quarterback, echoing Thomas Castellanos scrambling out of trouble last week.
For all the pressure Alabama recorded in this game, the fact that the team recorded zero total tackles was rather surprising. The pass rush going forward needs to put a better emphasis on finishing the sack and getting the quarterback to the ground, or else SEC play may bring some frustrating quarterback scrambles.
The ugly
Nothing. When you win 73-0 and look dominant from start to finish, this is usually what the “ugly” section will look like in these articles.
Alabama looked like an angry football team this week, and it brought the exact response fans wanted to see. Now, it’s about continuing the success as the team will face off against Wisconsin next week and then start SEC play in Athens shortly after.
