The opening drive of the 2025 season looked like Alabama football of old. 16-plays, 75-yards of smashmouth football as the Crimson Tide punched in a touchdown to set the tone against Florida State. 12 of the 16 plays were runs, producing 55 yards along the way.
It was all downhill from there.
Alabama managed just 10 points and 31 rushing yards the remainder of the game, suffering a stunning season-opening loss to a hungrier, better-prepared football team. OC Ryan Grubb fell back into the bad habits that ultimately cost him his job last season as the Seattle Seahawks play-caller - he abandoned the run game at the first sign of trouble, forcing a QB making his first career start to throw 43 passes.
Alabama was more balanced in a Week 2 dismantling of UL Monroe, but the Warhawks were completely overmatched talent-wise. Whether or not the Tide's offense - and the team overall - truly turned the corner will be determined this week against Wisconsin.
The Badgers are a proud program stuck in the middle-to-low tier of the Big Ten, but they are well coached and looking for a breakthrough to get back to their usual perch nationally. A win over Alabama would solidify that.
When Alabama has the ball on Saturday, it'll be weakness against strength. Can the Tide find a semblance of a running game against a stout Badgers defensive front?
In two games, Wisconsin has given up just 67 total rushing yards. One of the biggest advantages Alabama had a year ago in a 42-10 blowout in Madison was at the line of scrimmage. The Tide racked up 181 rushing yards in the win.
Whether Alabama can dominate the way Vegas expects or if they'll be in a four-quarter dogfight will be determined by the Crimson Tide's ability to find a sustainable run game.
Can Alabama run the football effectively against Wisconsin?
Even factoring in last week's 200+ yard effort on the ground against UL Monroe, Alabama's run game ranks 111th in the country in rushing success rate, per Game on Paper.
Against a Badgers defensive front that has allowed 33.5 yards per through the first two weeks, that could be problematic. It might take time for Alabama to find traction. Will Ryan Grubb have the patience to keep running the football even when it's not producing the yards he wants?
That could be the key to the game. Ty Simpson made some major strides in Week 2, but a balanced offense is necessary with Simpson at the helm. Alabama might still beat Wisconsin without being able to move the ball on the ground. One dimension might be enough this week.
It won't be enough two weeks later in Athens. It won't be enough against Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma, or Auburn.
Starting RB Jam Miller is a game-time decision this weekend. If he's out, redshirt freshman Kevin Riley will get the start again. There will be carries available for Richard Young and perhaps Daniel Hill. True freshman AK Dear flashed in garbage time last week and could be someone to keep an eye on.
Perhaps more importantly will be the performance of the offensive line. Keep an eye on what Alabama decides to do up front, particularly on the right side. The expectation is that Geno VanDeMark and Wilkin Formby will start, but both Jaeden Roberts and Michael Carroll could see significant snaps. It'll be interesting to see if Alabama can generate more push with the latter two in the game.
This game is more important than the end result. The process matters more. We'll find out if Alabama has truly moved forward from the disappointing performance against Florida State or not. And what the Tide puts on film this week could determine the success they find the rest of the season.