Coming off of a season opener in which the starting offense kept scoring too quickly to learn much about itself or get quality reps, the Tide struggled mightily to move the football against a game South Florida defense. Talent and perhaps a personnel adjustment eventually won the day to give Nick Saban something to cheer on his special night, but execution was far too inconsistent. It can be argued that winning by 26 on a night when they lost the turnover battle by three is impressive, and it is as long as they stop fumbling the football.

Penalties are also a concerning theme. Many of those on the offensive line were a result of just getting whipped, but there were also a couple of false starts, a silly block in the back on Tyler Booker, a facemask on Jihaad Campbell and a targeting foul on Justin Jefferson that will keep him out in the first half against Wisconsin. Campbell was also flagged for an early late hit for shoving USF QB Byrum Brown out of bounds, but that call was absurd. Still, an undisciplined football team rarely wins anything of note, and this team has hung that moniker on itself thus far.

A few impressions:

The offensive line is likely settled by default

Wilkin Formby is a redshirt freshman with loads of potential and a native son of Tuscaloosa who may well go on to a great career. Last night, however, he was exposed badly by 295 lb. redshirt senior Decarius Hawthorn, who as a Center Point (Birmingham) product probably came into this game with some extra motivation. This is hardly the first time that a green youngster in the trenches ran into a grown man with something to prove, but it was clear that Wilkin isn’t quite ready for prime time. This is what paycheck games are for, and as rough as Elijah Pritchett looked on the left side vs. WKU, his experience will assuredly win out on the right side.

Kalen DeBoer said after the game that the team should be in much better shape on the OL next week. It will be somewhat shocking if the line isn’t Kadyn Proctor, Tyler Booker, Parker Brailsford, Jaeden Roberts, and Pritchett from left to right next week in Madison. Geno VanDeMark started at left guard in this one and after a rough start seemed to settle in a bit, and Tyler Booker was passable at left tackle. This likely means that Geno will effectively be the next man up at all five positions, with Booker shifting outside if a tackle goes down.

Now we just need to see what this group looks like in action. Needless to say, going into the first actual test of the season without so much as a single game rep for the starting five is less than ideal. The development of this unit will determine the outcome of the season.

South Florida trapped Milroe in the pocket, and he was uncomfortable

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While Formby had an awful night, South Florida’s defensive strategy contributed. On many snaps, Hawthorne was content to line up wide and sprint upfield past Milroe, preventing Jalen from escaping to his right. Some of the issues could have been mitigated if he could train himself to consistently step up into the pocket. Kalen DeBoer showed an example of this in his film breakdown after the game, even noting that Milroe’s first instinct was still to bail on his pocket.

As you heard, DeBoer said that they have spoken “a lot” about stepping up into the pocket. Jalen still has plenty of growing to do in terms of pocket presence. Last night the deep ball wasn’t there for him, and his efficiency numbers suffered as a result. The fact that he was able to catch himself doing the wrong thing in live action, then correct and make the play with an intermediate dart, is encouraging. Hopefully we continue to see progress.

Jam Miller has established himself as the alpha in the backfield

Miller did cough the ball up once which you never want to see, but he was by far the strongest back last night. Justice Haynes has loads of potential, vision, and explosiveness, but Miller brings a raw power to the role that as of this moment Haynes can’t match. Look for Jam to get more than half the reps in this timeshare going forward.

The Ryan Williams hype train is full steam ahead

Ryan had a relatively quiet night until late, when he turned a simple hitch route into a 43-yard touchdown. After his high profile recruitment as an in-state product, he has become a fan favorite and is backing it up on the field. With speed to burn and instincts beyond his years, the future could not be brighter for this young man.

The pass rush showed up big

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A week after Alabama struggled to push the pocket vs Western Kentucky, Tim Keenan III and company kept the heat on USF QB Byrum Brown. Brown did get loose a few times to gut out 108 yards on 23 carries, but he had very little time to throw the ball and was sacked several times. An elite defensive line covers up a lot of warts, and it will be lovely if this one can live up to its preseason billing.

The secondary had some holes early, but the Bulls couldn’t capitalize

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In the first quarter, the Bulls managed to get guys behind the secondary on multiple occasions and could have easily seized the lead. Fortunately for Alabama, Brown didn’t appear to be terribly adept at throwing the deep ball so none of them turned into points. True freshmen Zabien Brown, pictured, and Red Morgan were both seen chasing the backs of jerseys. The secondary seemed to settle in as the game went along, led by captain Malachi Moore, but it’s something to monitor.

The staff now has an opportunity to show its mettle

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As ugly as this game was, you’d rather have warts exposed early in the season than later. The coaching staff now has two games of film to see which concepts the players can currently execute and which they can’t. it will be on the staff to accentuate the strengths while masking the weaknesses. Alabama has one more game where they are likely to be heavily favored, albeit on the road, next week before a brutal SEC slate kicks off.

How the team responds next week will tell us something about this new coaching staff.

Roll Tide.