Questions about how Alabama Crimson Tide They could enter the 2024 season without their legendary head coach, Nick Saban, when they beat Western Kentucky 63-0 on Saturday under new coach Kallen DeBoer.
The Crimson Tide heard all the dubious language about them entering Week 1, and Western Kentucky quarterback TJ Finley was among them.
Finley, who Played at LSUAuburn and Texas State before joining WKU in his fifth collegiate season, said before the game that Alabama “might not be what they think it is.”
Alabama linebacker Tyler Booker admitted that was just fuel to the Crimson Tide’s fire.
“It was a little offensive, we definitely saw what he said,” Booker said. via SI.com. “It wasn’t the main motivation to go out there and hang 63 points on it, obviously, we’re going to play to our standard but it added some fuel to the fire.
“When one of their players says something along the lines of, ‘[They] Who can’t be [they] think [they] is,’ our whole purpose in the game is just to show them who we are and who we are. I think we accomplished that and I think he would say the same.
Alabama, the nation’s fourth-ranked team entering the new season, was electric Jaylen MillerTheir veteran quarterback, who wasn’t among the many who entered the transfer portal following the news of Saban’s retirement, threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns after just seven completions. The Millers also rushed for 79 yards on the ground for two touchdowns on 10 attempts.
Meanwhile, Finley was 18-for-31 for just 92 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. The rushing yards leader for WKU was Elijah Young who had just 18 yards on 10 carries.
When looking at team stats, Alabama had 600 yards of total offense to WKU’s 145, and the Crimson Tide averaged nearly 10 yards per game (9.2).
It was the very first game for DeBoer, who previously led the Washington Huskies to the national title game in 2023. His team eventually lost to the Michigan Wolverines, but DeBoer impressed the Crimson Tide enough to make him the next head coach of the storied SEC. program
DeBoer’s team answered some questions in their first game, and has a tough schedule ahead, including No. 1-ranked Georgia in three weeks.
But for teams like South Florida and Wisconsin over the next two weeks, it would be best to keep comments like Finley’s to themselves, as Alabama’s fire is already shining after its dominant performance.
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