Kalen DeBoer said the word “fun” six times throughout his 13-minute press conference following No. 5 Alabama’s 63-0 victory against Western Kentucky on Saturday night. I’m estimating here, but that’s roughly six more times than his predecessor uttered the word following games during his 17-year tenure with the Crimson Tide.

Was Alabama's season-opening win perfect? Not quite. The Tide had a bad snap that led to a fumble and went three-and-out on three occasions. It also racked up seven penalties resulting in 59 yards.

But fun? Oh yeah. Jalen Milroe piled up five total touchdowns, including two to freshman phenom Ryan Williams. Six of the Tide’s nine scores came from 20 or more yards out, including a pair from 80-plus yards.

Alabama also pitched a shutout in Kane Wommack’s debut as defensive coordinator. That came as Michigan transfer Keon Sabb picked off a pair of passes in his first game donning crimson and white.

In today’s column, I’ll provide my takeaways from Alabama’s season-opening blowout. So pour yourself a drink, have some fun, and let’s dive in.

Alabama’s offense wasn’t in a savoring mood Saturday night. Six of the Tide’s nine touchdown drives lasted less than five plays as it used deep balls and breakaway runs to find the end zone. Alabama will need to establish more offensive consistency if it wants to replicate its success against better defenses moving forward. But for now, let’s celebrate the Tide's big-play ability by taking a few shots of our own.

The strawberry shooter is a gameday favorite for our friends at Session Cocktails. The three-part shot contains .75 ounces of vodka, .25 ounces of strawberry juice and .25 ounces of lemon juice. It’s sweet and goes down as easy as a deep ball to Ryan Williams. It’s the perfect shot to take following an Alabama touchdown. Just be sure to sub yourself out in the third quarter if the game gets out of hand.

Cheers!

(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)

Remember when Alabama’s roster was falling apart following Nick Saban’s retirement in January? It turns out the Tide did a pretty decent job replacing its departing pieces.

Isaiah Bond’s big-play threat? Alabama filled that with Williams, who began his college career with a pair of touchdown receptions for a team-high 139 yards through the air.

How about Caleb Downs’ nose for the ball at safety? The five-star defender might have moved on to Ohio State, but Alabama seems to have found a capable replacement in Sabb. The Michigan transfer recorded a pair of interceptions Saturday, setting up Alabama’s first two scoring drives. He also tallied a pair of tackles.

Even Washington transfer Parker Brailsford filled the void of departing center Seth McLaughlin by snapping the ball over Milroe’s head in the first quarter. Too soon? Sorry. In all seriousness, I was always a fan of McLaughlin, and Brailsford had a solid Alabama debut despite the error.

As encouraging as the Tide’s additions were Saturday, things look even more promising moving forward. Washington transfer receiver Germie Bernard still figures to play a big role in the offense despite tallying just one reception for 17 yards against WKU. Meanwhile, Texas A&M transfer defensive lineman LT Overton should have more time to rush the passer against teams that don’t get the ball out as quickly as the Hilltoppers. Eventually, Alabama will need a field goal from reigning Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson, too.

Despite losing four of its five starting defensive backs from last season, Alabama still managed to hold WKU quarterback T.J. Finley below the embarrassingly low standard he set for himself heading into the game. Finley boasted about throwing for 150 yards against Alabama “every time I played them” despite missing that mark in both of his previous games against the Tide with LSU (2020) and Auburn (2021). Finley once again failed to reach the 150-yard mark on Saturday, completing 18 of 31 passes for 92 yards and a pair of interceptions before being benched with two minutes remaining in the first half.

Along with flustering Finley, Wommack’s “Swarm D” held the Hilltoppers to 145 total yards, including 103 through the air. That’s pretty impressive, considering WKU ranked No. 15 nationally last season, averaging 296.4 passing yards per game.

The Hilltoppers marched into the red zone twice but were unable to come away with points, as they missed on a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter before being stopped on a fourth down inside the Alabama 10-yard line their following drive.

“I like the never say die, kind of just to dig in when they had their backs to the wall on some drives that were coming down the field. One was after a turnover on the offense. Just looking at that as an opportunity to make a statement, to just let everyone know that they got that mindset that they’re going to play together. And it was really cool to see them get the shutout.”

It sounds weird to say this after a 63-point performance, but I’m not convinced with this Alabama offense. Sure, it’s encouraging to see the Tide hit on a few big plays. The Milroe-to-Williams connection will certainly be entertaining to watch, and I really like the “four plus two does equal six” line that Williams dropped following the game. Still, Alabama’s feast-or-famine approach on offense doesn’t seem sustainable.

We already knew Milroe could hit the deep ball. He did that better than almost anyone last year. I’d still like to see him sustain drives by picking apart defenses consistently.

That being said, Milroe went 7 of 9 for 200 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He also ran for 79 yards and a pair of scores on 10 carries while taking just one sack. Maybe I’m being too harsh. In fact, yeah, I'm definitely being too harsh. Still, I won’t be totally convinced until I see Alabama move the ball against a defense it can’t just completely overmatch athletically.

According to Pro Football Focus, Alabama’s highest-graded players on either side of the ball were freshmen. To no surprise, Williams topped the Tide on offense with an 87.0 mark from PFF. The top performer on defense? That would be redshirt freshman edge rusher Qua Russaw, who earned an 86.5 grade while making a surprise start at the Wolf position.

Russaw didn’t see the field last season as he transitioned from inside linebacker to edge rusher. Saturday, the 6-foot-2, 251-pound defender looked like a seasoned vet, flying to the ball for four tackles, including one for a loss, to go with a quarterback hurry. Russaw has a thicker build than Alabama’s other two primary Wolf defenders, Que Robinson (6-foot-5, 241 pounds) and Keanu Koht (6-foot-4, 242 pounds). However, the Montgomery, Alabama native doesn’t lose a step when it comes to athleticism.

“Physically, we use the term freak around here, but when you talk about him, that guy is truly freaky in terms of his strength and athleticism and speed,” Wommack said at the beginning of Alabama’s camp last month. “He is starting to play with that confidence that we need out of that position.”

Russaw’s blend of size and athleticism should keep him on the field this fall. Saturday he took part in 30 defensive snaps, compared to 22 from Robinson and 13 from Koht. Russaw led Alabama with an 83.2 run-defense grade and recorded two pressures in his 12 pass-rushing snaps. Coming out of Week 1, he’s my candidate for breakout player of the year.

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