Alabama’s season opener had the kind of split-screen feel that tells you a lot about where a team really stands. The Crimson Tide rolled past East Carolina 48-10 on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but the clean final score didn’t hide every rough edge. Kalen DeBoer’s third season opened with a win, and it also opened with a few reminders that Alabama’s offense still has work to do.
The brightest sign came at quarterback. Sophomore Keelon Russell made his first career start look composed for long stretches, showing the poise and athleticism Alabama wants from him.
Outside of one bad first-quarter throw that nearly became an interception, he looked steady, made good decisions and threw the ball accurately. Even with East Carolina not offering the toughest possible test, Russell still had to operate without perfect protection.
He did that well enough to make the debut encouraging, though his habit of not sliding at the end of runs figures to get attention from the coaching staff.
If Russell was the cleanest part of the night, the defense looked the most game-ready. Alabama’s inside linebackers, one of the few preseason questions on that side of the ball, held up well.
The pass rush was hard to fully evaluate because East Carolina got the ball out so quickly, but the secondary was mostly tight when the first unit was on the field. The Pirates did hit one 68-yard completion after a coverage breakdown, and that play helped set up a touchdown, but it was the exception rather than the rule.
The offense, meanwhile, still had some ugly moments up front. The line gave up too much penetration against both the run and the pass, and too often the backs were running into traffic immediately after the handoff.
Russell was only sacked once, but that number didn’t tell the whole story. His ability to escape helped more than the protection did.
Ryan Coleman-Williams was right in the middle of Alabama’s biggest plays and its most frustrating ones. He topped 100 receiving yards by halftime and again flashed the big-play ability that makes him such a dangerous target.
But the drops showed up too. He let one catchable ball go by on what would have been a big gain in the first quarter, then had another slip away at the front corner of the end zone, though that one was erased by an ECU penalty.
Later, he was involved in Alabama’s only turnover when a handoff exchange went wrong in the second half because he appeared to expect Russell to keep the ball.
The biggest swing in the game came right after East Carolina trimmed the margin to 17-7. Alabama answered with a six-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that killed any hint of momentum for the Pirates. Coleman-Williams delivered the key shot with a 58-yard reception, and Daniel Hill finished the march with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Russell’s final numbers reflected how much he was involved in the offense: 335 combined passing and rushing yards. DeBoer also made a point of keeping him on the field deep into the fourth quarter, which was the right call.
Austin Mack could have gone in earlier from an injury standpoint, but Russell needed the snaps. With Kentucky up next and Russell set for his first SEC start on the road, the extra work, extra tape and extra live reps mattered.
In Other News...
Alabama's Young Offense Has One More Thing To Prove In Second Half
At halftime, Alabama has more than enough cushion against East Carolina, but the game has still offered a useful snapshot of where this young offense is growing and where it still needs work. The ground game has carried the day, the offensive line has given freshman quarterback Keelon Russell a clean pocket, and the defense has mostly done its job against the run while helping the Tide build a 38-7 lead.
The next step is a familiar one for Alabamas offense: making life easier on Russell by creating more separation on the outside and turning good protection into cleaner, quicker answers downfield. The defense has been sturdy in the trenches, but it has also shown a willingness to give up explosive plays when communication slips, which is the sort of detail that can matter more against better competition than it has in a lopsided first half here. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Familiar Worry With Its Most Explosive Receiver
The opening game of the season brought an old concern back into view for Alabama, as Ryan Coleman-Williams had another rough day at the catch point. The explosive receiver has been central to what the Crimson Tide want to do offensively, and his ability to turn chances into chunk plays remains a key part of Alabamas hopes heading into the rest of the year.
Coleman-Williams did spend the offseason trying to clean up the issue, making changes aimed at improving his hands and sharpening his reliability. Even so, the early signs were a reminder that Alabamas passing attack may have to keep living with a little volatility from one of its most dangerous weapons, which is not exactly the kind of tradeoff a contender wants to carry for long. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Fans Finally Have Clarity On EJ Crowell For The Opener
A longtime question around Alabamas backfield finally got some shape this week, with freshman EJ Crowell trending toward being part of the season-opening picture against East Carolina. The highly rated running back has been working through an ankle injury that kept him out of spring work and fall scrimmages, but offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Crowell is expected to be available, and the depth chart lists him as a co-starter.
For Alabama, the encouraging part is simply getting Crowell back in the mix after such a quiet buildup. The next question is how much the staff asks of him right away, since the plan is to bring him along carefully rather than drop him into a full role from the start. [Read more 🡒]