Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama had a rude awakening in its season-opening game against Florida State. The game was completely dominated by the Seminoles and showed the deficiencies of the Crimson Tide.
Much has been said about the change of culture at Tuscaloosa, with the Crimson Tide seemingly giving up halfway through its 31-17 defeat in Week 1.
On Tuesday, Jason Whitlock criticized the program’s culture and raised some concerns about the way that Alabama’s best player tackled this important game:
“Alabama’s best football player is an alphabet soldier. He plays wide receiver. His name is Ryan Williams. He runs around with painted fingernails. He showed up to Saturday’s game with some sort of anxiety doll that he walked into the locker room with. Your best player, probably your most expensive player, is an alphabet soldier. And you’re wondering why the team is soft.” (2:30)
It’s important to point out that assumptions about Ryan Williams’s sexual orientation or mental health are unfounded. They would also be outside the scope of his capabilities. However, during Saturday’s game, $2.7M NIL-valued Williams did perform far below what is expected of him. He only caught five passes for a total of 30 receiving yards.
Overall, it seemed like the Crimson Tide buckled under the pressure of playing on the road at a tough location like Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
Nick Saban reacts to Alabama’s loss to Florida State in Week 1
On Monday night, one of the most expected reactions by Alabama fans came. Speaking in the pre-game proceedings of ESPN’s transmission for the TCU vs. North Carolina game, Nick Saban had this to say about his old team’s loss in Week 1 of college football:
“Obviously for me and for a lot of the ‘Bama fans, a disappointment that Florida State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Saban said from Chapel Hill, North Carolina before UNC faced TCU. “But the good news is, every team has the best opportunity to improve from Week 1 to Week 2.”
Saban did highlight that in reality, no coach truly knows how their team will react in the first week of college football. That being said, he admitted that the game was a disappointment for the entire Alabama camp but that there’s a lot of room for improvement between now and Week 2.
Read more:
Insider Claims Deadline for Decision on Kalen DeBoer’s Future, Says Alabama HC Already on ‘Hot Seat’
Top 5 Potential Head Coaching Replacements If Alabama Fires Kalen DeBoer Ft. Jon Gruden
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