Alabama wanted to start fast and leave no doubts against South Carolina this week. Mission accomplished. The Crimson Tide reached the endzone on the fourth offensive snap, and scored touchdowns on four straight first-half drives after an opening three-and-out en route to building a 35-3 lead in the second quarter.
The game was never in doubt, and now the Crimson Tide is 4-0 with two SEC wins already banked. The gauntlet begins from here, but give this young team a lot of credit for the start to this season with so many new faces on the roster.
Let's hand out five game balls from Alabama's 49-18 win in Bryant-Denny:
1. Keelon Russell
You have to start with the superstar QB Keelon Russell, who just continues to get better every week. He followed up a brilliant final three quarters last week against Florida State with a dominant performance from start to finish against South Carolina.
Russell produced 400 yards of offense and five total touchdowns. He threw for four touchdowns with only six incomplete passes.
Russell's ceiling is astronomical. He's still scratching the surface of who he can become, and he's already elite. That's a terrifying thought for the rest of the nation.
2. Ryan Coleman-Williams
Star WR Ryan Coleman-Williams shook off the early drops against East Carolina and has been outstanding ever since. He caught five passes for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns against South Carolina.
He got behind the defense twice and made the Gamecocks pay on both. He caught a strike from Russell in the end zone in the first quarter, and then caught a deep pass and ran it in for a touchdown while dragging a pair of defenders with him to the goal line in the second quarter.
He's looking a lot more like the freshman sensation we saw in 2024 rather than the sophomore slump version we saw a year ago.
3. Josh Ford
This could probably go to the entire TE group, but we'll give it to Josh Ford on the strength of his ridiculous one-handed touchdown grab and for making star South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart crash out and quit.
Ford has brought a renewed physicality with him to Tuscaloosa. He was one of the most underrated Transfer Portal pickups for Alabama in a class that was criminally undervalued nationally. He's made a huge difference through four weeks,
4. Luke Metz
Sophomore LB Luke Metz played like a man possessed, paying off all the praise he received from Kane Wommack in the preseason that led to him earning the starting job next to Caleb Woodson.
Metz delivered a few devastating hits and led the Crimson Tide with 13 tackles. He was flying all over the field. In the fourth quarter, he picked up a fumble that Dijon Lee forced and scampered eight yards down the field with it.
Metz is still learning on the job as a young player, but he's played really well already for Alabama and should continue getting better and better.
5. Red Morgan
Junior DB Red Morgan was flying all over the field, too. For the second straight week, he recorded an interception. This time, he took it back 23 yards for a touchdown to push Alabama's lead to 35-3.
Morgan really came on late last season and has continued to build on that in his third year with the Crimson Tide. The husky position in Wommack's defense suits him very well.
He plays fast and aggressively, and it continues to pay off for Alabama.
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