Happy Monday, everyone, and Happy Labor Day. Hopefully you all are enjoying some time with family today, and talking some Alabama football. Bill Connelly thinks things went reasonably well for the Tide.
Russell’s debut as a starter was clean and exciting: He completed 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards, no picks and only one sack, and he proved his scrambling capabilities immediately, escaping pressure and rushing for 23 yards on the first third down of the game. Seven of his 12 carries (not including the sack) moved the chains, and three players (Ryan Coleman-Williams and sophomores Derek Meadows and Kaleb Edwards) had at least one 20-yard catch.
The run game played its part, too, after a dismal 2025. Leading returning rusher Daniel Hill and star freshman EJ Crowell combined for 84 yards on 16 carries (5.3 per carry), and while there wasn’t much explosiveness there, only one carry gained fewer than 2 yards. Bama stayed on schedule well.
Things weren’t perfect. The line wasn’t opening up gaping holes by any means — we’ll find out a lot more about that rebuilt unit at Kentucky next week — and after suffering one of the worst cases of the yips you’ll ever see last year, Coleman-Williams dropped his first downfield pass Saturday and dropped a potential touchdown pass as well. (The latter was negated by a defensive penalty.) But he made a huge 58-yard catch on third-and-long in the second quarter and finished with five catches and 130 yards, his best game since last September. Both he and the Bama offense left similar impressions: Last year’s issues might be fixed and the upside is obvious, but bigger challenges await.
Theodore Fernandez posted some film study for you. The mercurial Ryan Coleman-Williams is on everyone’s minds.
This was a beautiful play by Russell, and would have gone down as one of his best throws of the day. Coleman-Williams may have been caught slightly off guard by the ball coming out when it did, and he had to make a quick decision on how to corral the pass.
That was his only official drop of the day, but we can’t ignore this end zone fiaso that was erased due to an offsides penalty.
Concern about Coleman-Williams’ mechanics is officially warranted. The jumping, the body catching, all of these habits that many expected to be fixed this offseason, are still a part of his game. The offseason was the time to get this changed, and it’s not as if Coleman-Williams is able to just flip a switch between now and the end of the season. This won’t stop him from being the lifeblood of the Alabama offense (1000 yards should be the expectation now, if it wasn’t already), but it’s just one of those things that will live in the back of everybody’s mind as a ball goes his way.
If Coleman-Williams catches the ball, anything is possible. If.
Creg Stephenson dropped Alabama from 4th to 5th in his SEC power poll, sliding LSU above them.
5. Alabama (1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Last week’s game: Beat East Carolina, 48-10
This week’s game: at Kentucky, 2:30 p.m., ABC
There were some occasional operational errors and some questionable ball security at times, but in his first start, quarterback Keelon Russell flashed the potential that made him Alabama’s highest-ranked recruit in program history. Freshman running back EJ Crowell also looked like a future star, and the Crimson Tide defense was outstanding outside of one coverage bust that led to a 68-yard pass. The trip to Kentucky is an interesting one, and a potential early trap game should Alabama allow the Wildcats to stay in it.
Understandable.
SB Nation’s Kentucky site reports that SEC Nation will be in Lexington next week.
To make the build-up to the game even more compelling, SEC Network’s SEC Nation and Marty & McGee will both be in Lexington next weekend for their live shows. It starts at 9 a.m. E.T. Saturday with SEC Nation, then with Marty & McGee from 12-12:45 E.T. Both shows will be live from the William T. Young Library.
Matt Barrie is the new host of SEC Nation, after Laura Rutledge concluded a long, successful run as host to take on her new role of hosting NFL Live and being a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football. Barrie is joined by Chase Daniel as an analyst, Marion Crowder as a reporter, alongside mainstays Paul Finebaum, Tim Tebow, and Roman Harper.
Speaking of Finebaum, he will also be hosting his weekday show live in Lexington Friday afternoon from 3-7 p.m. E.T. at the same location as Saturday’s shows.
Their head coach, Will Stein, doesn’t lack for confidence.
“I’ll pick at Bama here later, but I’m going to have a cold beer and (f-bomb) … excuse my French,” Stein said postgame, laughing. “I was gonna say effing hang out with my family. Sorry. Apologize Big Blue Nation. They probably liked that.”
That’s not the first quote from the Louisville native that has drawn attention since he took the Kentucky job this year. The 36-year-old coach also grabbed some headlines in Tampa at SEC media days when Stein was asked why he thinks he can win big at Kentucky.
“I think because of me to be honest,” said the former Oregon offensive coordinator. “Because of me. I know what it takes. I have seen it at the highest levels. I know what it takes to recruit at this level. You’ve just got to believe man. You’ve just got to put the ball down and play.”
Stein will get that opportunity this week when he faces his first SEC opponent: No. 13 Alabama (1-0).
Last, Alabama baseball is getting a big addition to the 2027 roster.
Alabama commit Chubb Jones Jr. officially announced Sunday night that he would be forgoing the 2027 MLB draft, instead enrolling in Tuscaloosa this upcoming January to join the Crimson Tide for the 2027 season. The Alabama commit made the announcement via social media.
Jones has been committed to the Crimson Tide since March when he flipped to the Crimson Tide from Clemson.
The Alabama commit is a talented player who was considered as a potential top high school pick in the upcoming 2027 MLB draft. Jones, a middle infielder and pitcher, attends McEachern High School in Georgia where he held a .370 AVG a year ago across 32 games as a junior, as well as a 2.19 ERA over 48 innings pitched on the mound.
Jones should slot in nicely at shortstop, where he would be filling the big shoes left by Justin Lebron.
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.
