Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from the weekend of September 5th through the 7th:
Ty Simpson sets an Alabama record, Alabama throttles ULM
If there was any lingering question after Week 1 of who Alabama's QB1 would be going forward, Ty Simpson answered it emphatically against UL Monroe in the Tide's home opener on Saturday. Simpson set an Alabama record with the most consecutive completions, finishing the game a perfect 17-of-17 for 226 yards and three passing touchdowns to go along with a rushing touchdown.
Simpson was done at halftime as Alabama built a 42-0 lead in the first 30 minutes, scoring touchdowns on all six of its offensive possessions. All in all, Alabama had the ball 11 times against UL Monroe, scoring 10 touchdowns and kicking one field goal on the way to a 73-0 win.
Alabama's dominant effort this weekend won't erase what happened last weekend in Tallahassee, but Kalen DeBoer and his team responded as well as they possibly could have in the home opener.
Now, it's all about stacking performances moving forward. Not just with games, but with every practice, every rep, every lift. This team is still one of the most talented teams in the country and has every ability to reach the lofty goals it had in the preseason.
Alabama moves up in the polls following dominant victory
Alabama moved up two spots in both the AP and Coaches Polls following the dominant display against UL Monroe. Alabama is now No. 18 in the Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the AP Poll.
The analytics are ready to believe in the Crimson Tide again, too. ESPN's FPI (Football Power Index) dropped Alabama all the way to No. 13 following the season-opening loss to Florida State. After the blowout win over ULM, the Crimson Tide is back all the way up to No. 4.
Alabama jumped all the way up to No. 3 in Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings.
Jameson Williams signs an extension with the Detroit Lions
The night before the first Sunday of the NFL season, former Alabama WR Jameson Williams inked a three-year contract extension worth up to $83 million with the Detroit Lions.
The Lions had previously exercised Williams' fifth-year rookie option, but now the former Tide standout earns a massive - and deserved - payday. Williams put together the first 1000-yard season of his career last season for Detroit, and figures to be a focal point of their offense moving forward for years to come.
A brutal performance to open the year for Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa had a day to forget to open the 2025 season with the Miami Dolphins getting blown out at home by the Indianapolis Colts. Tagovailoa turned the ball over three times, fumbling once and throwing two picks.
Fans ripped into the former Alabama QB on social media during and in the aftermath of Sunday's game. If fans have their way, or if the Dolphins' downward trend continues, Tua could be getting close to the end of his run with the franchise that drafted him 5th overall in 2020.