Something clicked for Alabama during the lightning delay at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Crimson Tide were already in a hole against Florida State on Saturday night, trailing 21-13 after at one point being down 21-6, when lightning in the area sent both teams to their locker rooms. Whatever was said in that break helped flip the game. Alabama came back out, found its rhythm on offense and rolled to a 50-36 win to improve to 3-0 in 2026.
Afterward, quarterback Keelon Russell was asked what Kalen DeBoer and the staff told the team while play was stopped.
“Win,” Russell said. “We knew coming to this game, we got everything that we was getting.
Just about executing the plays. Like I said (Ryan) Grubb came in there confident.
(Bryan) Ellis was in there confident. We all knew, we get everything we want.
Defense was giving everything we want. Just got to go out there and just execute the simple plays and just get first downs.”
It was the second straight week Alabama found itself trying to dig out of an early deficit. Against Kentucky in Week 2, the Tide trailed 17-13 before turning that game into a 45-17 win.
The defense had its own issues against Florida State after shining against Kentucky, but defensive back Red Morgan said the delay didn’t change the tone from coordinator Kane Wommack.
“Nothing every changed,” Morgan said. “He stayed high-energy, making the guys weren’t- nobody’s head was down and just making sure we were motivated.”
DeBoer pointed to the slow starts after the game and said Alabama needs to clean that up.
“Obviously we have got to start faster,” DeBoer said. “Two games in a row now where we find ourselves behind.
So, probably different scenarios on how that happened, but nonetheless; we’ve got to do a better job of coming out of the gates. I am not going to take away anything about our team as far as belief.
“I think you can see it in the mindset that we weren’t taking anything for granted because I do feel when you find yourself in that spot; if you thought it was going to be an easy game, you start panicking and you start overreacting and our guys didn’t do that. They just stayed in the fight and kept making plays.”
Alabama’s next game is set for next Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium against South Carolina.
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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.
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SEC Power Struggles Keep Reshaping The World Around Alabama
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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 🡒]