Alabama heads into Week 2 with a clean chance to answer two lingering questions at once.
A road trip to Kentucky is hardly the biggest test on the Crimson Tide’s schedule, but it does give Kalen DeBoer’s team a useful early measuring stick. If Alabama can handle an SEC opponent away from home, it could go a long way toward quieting the offseason talk about whether this team is built to win the way DeBoer’s teams are supposed to win.
The loudest storyline around DeBoer has been his struggles in road games as a favorite. That reputation has followed him through Tuscaloosa, and a convincing showing in Lexington would be the kind of response Alabama would gladly take.
The bigger football issue, though, has been the offensive line. That group was the main concern all offseason, with questions about whether enough had been done to build a unit worthy of championship expectations. Alabama offered an encouraging first answer in the opener against East Carolina, piling up more than 200 rushing yards.
Now comes the tougher test.
Kentucky brings a much stronger front than East Carolina, and Alabama is also expected to be without star sophomore RG Michael Carroll, who is dealing with a mild concussion. That absence makes the assignment even more demanding.
Still, that is exactly why this game matters. If Alabama can move the ball on the ground against an SEC defense without one of its best linemen, it would do plenty to blunt the criticism about the physical edge - or lack of it - in DeBoer’s teams.
The line itself is set to look different again. The expectation is that Will Sanders and Mal Waldrep will be the starting guards in Week 2.
Last week, the two split work at LG, with Sanders starting before giving way to Waldrep. This time, both may need to play the full game.
That is not ideal for a group that spent the offseason chasing stability and continuity up front. But that is also part of the deal in football, where teams need seven or eight linemen ready from the start of the year.
Waldrep saw a lot of action in the spring and fall while Sanders was dealing with injuries. For a while, it looked as if Waldrep might win the job outright, but Sanders made a late push and moved ahead. Now both are needed, and both will have to hold up against a quality SEC front.
Alabama has spent the entire offseason hearing the doubts. Saturday offers a chance to push them back, even if only for a week.
Road games in this league are never simple. They are even harder when one of your best players is out.
In Other News...
Keelon Russells Alabama Rise Says A Lot About This QB Room
Keelon Russells first start of the season against East Carolina offered a glimpse of why Alabama remains so intent on keeping its quarterback room competitive and connected. Russell threw for 256 yards and ran for 86 more with a touchdown, showing the kind of dual-threat potential that can change a game quickly, but he also made clear after the performance that his growth has not happened in a vacuum.
Russell credited former starter Ty Simpson for helping him develop as a player, a reminder that the Crimson Tides quarterback pipeline is often built as much on mentorship as talent. Simpsons own Alabama run ended with the kind of pro leap that validates the programs reputation, and Russells rise now adds another layer to a room that keeps producing big expectations and even bigger questions about what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces Its First Real SEC Test At Kentucky
Alabama heads to Kentucky this week for an SEC road game that offers a cleaner read on where the Crimson Tide stand as league play unfolds. The matchup brings a familiar opponent and a familiar recent trend, since Alabama has kept a long winning streak going against the Wildcats, but it also asks the Tide to handle a true road setting against a team that will try to lean on its own offensive identity and make the game uncomfortable.
For Alabama, the most interesting pieces remain on its side of the ball, where quarterback Keelon Russell could shape the tone if he continues to grow into the role and the running game stays efficient enough to keep the offense on schedule. It is the kind of game that can tell you a lot without saying everything, especially with this being a significant SEC test away from Tuscaloosa and another step in a season where the margins start to matter more. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Rebuilt Run Game Faces Its First Real Test At Kentucky
Kalen DeBoer is seeing a familiar face this week, and the matchup comes with a fresh wrinkle for Alabama. DeBoer and Kentucky coach Will Stein already crossed paths twice in 2023, when DeBoer was at Washington and Stein was at Oregon, but this meeting carries different weight for the Crimson Tide because of how much attention has been placed on the run game after last seasons struggles. Alabamas opener offered some encouraging signs on the ground, enough to suggest real progress, yet Kentucky is bringing a defense built to test whether those improvements were for real.
The challenge only gets sharper because this is the sort of game where the trenches usually decide everything. Alabamas front will have to hold up against a physical Kentucky run defense while the Tides own defensive approach tries to keep the Wildcats from dictating tempo, and the offensive line matchup on both sides should shape how comfortable either team feels early. For Alabama, it is less about what looked better in Week 1 and more about whether the rebuilt ground attack can survive a tougher, more revealing assignment. [Read more 🡒]