Alabama walked out of Bryant-Denny with a 3-0 record and, for the second straight week, plenty to clean up. The good news is that the Tide kept battling and eventually separated from Florida State. The bad news is that the early script looked a little too familiar, with Alabama starting slow and letting a road underdog punch first.
The biggest issue was on defense, where Florida State kept landing explosive plays. Mike Norvell’s group came in swinging, and every one of the Seminoles’ five touchdowns was keyed by some kind of big play.
The first score came on a jump-ball prayer from Ashton Daniels under pressure, with Dijon Lee getting turned around and Duce Robinson making the catch. Another deep shot to Micahi Danzy looked like a busted match concept, with Keon Sabb playing over the top of Lee instead of carrying the slot, leaving Danzy wide open.
Later, a 35-yard sideline throw seemed to go right through Carmelo O’Neal and helped set up another touchdown, and questions remain about why O’Neal was on the field at that point.
The problems didn’t stop there. Abduall Sanders was in the game and missed a tackle that led to an explosive touchdown run.
Jah-Marien Latham appeared to be targeted on the edges more than once, and Desmond Umeozulu lost contain on an early 27-yard run by Ousmane Kromah. Kromah finished with 80 yards on 17 carries, but the numbers only tell part of the story; 37 of those yards came on two early runs, and he averaged fewer than three yards a carry the rest of the way.
That kind of inconsistency is why Kane Wommack may need to tighten the rotation before SEC play ramps up. The drop-off in some spots was too obvious, and the pattern-match issues need to get solved quickly. If not, Alabama may have to lean on the heavier zone looks Wommack is known for, even if that runs against Nick Saban’s advice.
Offensively, though, Alabama looked much cleaner up front. Florida State’s defense is not a strong measuring stick, but the Tide’s line showed real progress, especially in the second half when Alabama was able to lean on the Seminoles’ front.
Keelon Russell had far more protection than he’s had in some time, and that matters. The competition is going to get much tougher, but there was enough there to leave room for optimism.
Russell’s own day followed a similar arc. Early on, he didn’t look fully settled, and a couple of slow reads led to late throws that were asking for trouble.
After the lightning delay, though, he came back looking far more confident and played like a quarterback with a massive ceiling. The two plays that will get the most attention are his 57-yard touchdown run, which showed off wheels that don’t get talked about enough, and a throw that was described as a Sunday throw.
He finished with a 199 passer rating.
If Alabama gets that version of Russell paired with a functioning run game, the offense can be a headache for anybody. The Tide also showed off just how much speed they have.
EJ Crowell and Ryan Coleman-Williams looked like the fastest players on the field, while Russell and Lotzeir Brooks had their moments too. Daniel Hill brought power and also hauled in a beautiful catch on a wheel route.
Trae’shawn Brown was effective again and may have the best vision in the running back room. Kaleb Edwards looks like a red-zone problem waiting to happen, and Russell rewarded him with a pretty high-pointed touchdown catch in the end zone.
The talent has been obvious for a while. The development is starting to catch up.
Special teams continues to be another bright spot. Conor Talty was perfect again, hitting all of his field goals and connecting from 45 yards out.
Alex Asparuhov averaged 42.5 yards on two punts. There were a couple of costly-looking mistakes late - Edwards was flagged for holding on a kickoff return, and Ivan Taylor roughed the punter on 4th-and-16 - but overall the kicking game has been a strength.
The next test comes against South Carolina, which was beaten at home by Kamario Taylor yesterday. The Gamecocks bring a strong ground game led by LaNorris Sellers and Matt Fuller, along with one of the nation’s best pass rushers in Dylan Stewart. Stewart is coming back from injury and played only 14 snaps yesterday, so he appears to be trending toward full health just in time to challenge Russell.
For Alabama, the bottom line is simple: the Tide are 3-0 and still have everything in front of them. The hope now is that the team keeps growing and starts clicking on all cylinders by October.
In Other News...
Alabama's Mike Norvell Near-Miss Looks Even Bigger Now
When Nick Saban announced his retirement in January 2024, Mike Norvell surfaced as a serious name in Alabamas search, with reports indicating he had moved into advanced talks with the Crimson Tides athletic director. In the end, Norvell stayed at Florida State after landing a contract extension, closing what looked at the time like one of the biggest coaching possibilities of the offseason.
Since then, the backdrop in Tallahassee has only grown shakier, with Florida States football fortunes sliding and the programs athletic director recently being fired. For Alabama fans looking back on that search, the near-miss feels more significant now, because the decision to stay put has placed Norvell in a far more uncertain spot than the one he passed up. [Read more 🡒]
Keelon Russell May Have Changed Alabamas Ceiling Faster Than Expected
Keelon Russell gave Alabama a jolt in the comeback win over Florida State, and he did it with the kind of poise that can change how a season feels in a hurry. Down 21-6, the quarterback helped the Crimson Tide score on seven straight possessions, finishing 23 of 30 for 320 yards and three touchdowns while adding 56 rushing yards and another score in the 50-36 victory.
For Alabama, the performance was about more than one flashy afternoon. Russell still described himself as a quarterback in development afterward, which is the part that should make the rest of the sport take notice, because if this is where he is while still growing into the job, the ceiling in Tuscaloosa may have moved up faster than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Power Struggles Keep Reshaping The World Around Alabama
Conference disputes have become a defining backdrop for the sport Alabama lives in, with schools and leagues repeatedly testing just how much control each side really has. LSUs effort to add former NFL training camp players to its roster and the SECs response is only the latest reminder that the ground around college football keeps shifting, whether it is a coach suspension in the Big Ten, Florida States lawsuit against the ACC over media rights or Washingtons sanctions from the old Pac-10.
For Alabama, the bigger point is how often these fights reshape the competitive landscape before anyone plays a game. Texas A&Ms move into the SEC came out of frustration with the Big 12, and the pattern is familiar enough now that each new dispute feels like another sign of a sport still working through who has leverage, who gets heard and what happens when schools decide their conference no longer fits the job they want done. [Read more 🡒]