5 intriguing observations from Alabama's 49-18 beatdown of South Carolina

Alabama fans wanted to see their team get off to a quicker start this week after falling behind in wins over Kentucky and Florida State.

Keelon Russell obliged.

After the customary three-and-out to open the game, Russell hit a 75-yard touchdown pass to Lotzeir Brooks on the fourth snap of the night. It was all Alabama from there. Russell hit three more touchdown passes in the first half, Red Morgan added a pick-six, and Alabama took a 35-10 lead into the locker room.

After three straight empty possessions to begin the second half, Alabama punched in two more second-half touchdowns on the way to a 49-18 shellacking of South Carolina.

Here's what we learned:

1. Keelon Russell continues to level up

This kid is special, folks. After an up-and-down performance in Lexington, things clicked for Russell in the second quarter last week against Florida State. He carried that over against South Carolina, producing 400 total yards of offense and five touchdowns.

Russell hit the dime to Brooks to get the party started. He then hit two touchdown passes to Ryan Coleman-Williams and then one to Josh Ford. He added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter for good measure.

After just four starts, Russell already looks like one of the best players in the country. The scary part is that he's still just scratching the surface of what he can become.

2. Alabama's Tight Ends are more than just blockers

Alabama's TE room has been difference-makers for the Crimson Tide this season. They've mostly gotten praise for their ability to move people at the line of scrimmage and help a seriously improved Crimson Tide ground attack. But against South Carolina, we saw that they are much, much more than that.

Kaleb Edwards and Marshall Pritchett are real weapons in the passing game. They combined for six receptions for 104 yards.

But it was Josh Ford who made the highlight of the game for the group. He skied into the air to haul in a Russell pass in the end zone, and he needed just one hand to do it:

Why is Alabama's offense clicking the way it is? Look no further than this group.

3. Alabama's pass protection shined against a challenging front

South Carolina ended up with two sacks, and Alabama didn't find its groove in the run game as much as it did in the previous three games.

But you have to tip your cap to the offensive line for how they handled the South Carolina pass rush. They frequently gave Russell plenty of time in the pocket. Take the bomb to Brooks in the first quarter as an example. That's a slow-developing route. It's a double-move across the entire field. They held up, and Russell delivered a dime.

If you give Russell the kind of time Alabama's offense gave him tonight, good luck. There's just not much you're going to be able to do against him, especially with the talent the Crimson Tide has at receiver.

One thing to keep an eye on: both LG Will Sanders and RT Jayvin James left the game with injuries and did not return. Mal Waldrep subbed in at LG, and Tyrell Miller came in at RT. We will hopefully learn more about their statuses in the coming days.

4. EJ Crowell's pass protection has to improve so Alabama can keep him on the field

It is pretty obvious that the player with the most juice for Alabama in the backfield is 5-star freshman EJ Crowell. He's just got another gear that the others don't. His contact balance is special, and he's an explosive play waiting to happen.

But the pass protection side of things and some of the mental aspects of the position are still a work in progress. He completely whiffed on a pass protection assignment that resulted in Russell getting sacked. He also had a nine-yard loss on a 1st-and-goal situation because he reversed field on a toss sweep and got swarmed over. That may have worked in high school, but it's not going to work in the SEC.

He was still Alabama's leading rusher, and DeBoer and Ryan Grubb continue to ramp him up. If he can figure out the pass pro and avoid trying to do too much, it'll be difficult to keep him off the field.

5. Luke Metz and Red Morgan play football with bad intentions

You need a little crazy on your defense. Both Luke Metz and Red Morgan are crazy. They play football pissed off. They are constantly looking to knock people out.

Metz laid a couple of big hits, including this one:

A note: if Reuben Foster identifies a linebacker as a "problem", you should probably listen. Speaking of, Morgan is one, too.

The junior DB picked off a pass for the second straight week, this time turning it into a pick-six that pushed Alabama's lead to 35-3 in the second quarter. He also exploded on a screen pass and drilled a Carolina receiver.

It wasn't perfect for the Alabama defense this week. They still gave up over 400 yards and struggled against the run. But Metz and Morgan were standouts, and guys you can build on.

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