Handing out Game Balls for Alabama Football's win over Wisconsin

Alabama Football passed its first road test with flying colors, battering the Badgers of Wisconsin to the tune of a 42-10 beatdown at Camp Randall Stadium. The win moves the Crimson Tide to 3-0 on the young season and now they'll take a bye week to prepare for the game everyone has had circled when Georgia comes to Tuscaloosa on September 28th.

Alabama dominated the middle-eight of the game - known as the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second - by scoring a touchdown right before the half on a Jalen Milroe pass to Germie Bernard, and then Jam Miller broke a 34-yard touchdown run on the Tide's opening possession of the second half to put Alabama firmly in control.

This performance was much more positive than last week's lackluster, mistake-fueled game against USF, and Alabama takes some momentum into the bye week.

So who gets a game ball this week?

Offense

Jalen Milroe

Jalen Milroe is off to a blistering start to 2024. The redshirt junior has accounted for 14 total touchdowns this season after a five-touchdown performance against Wisconsin. The naysayers still wonder if he's a good enough passer, but they must've watched a different game than me.

Milroe was firmly in command of the offense on Saturday afternoon, dropping dime-after-dime and making things happen with his legs. He was comfortable in the pocket with a fully healthy offensive line able to keep him upright and give him time to make reads and deliver the football.

The first touchdown of the game was a 31-yard toss to freshman Ryan Williams and the throw was dropped right in the bucket. The touchdown pass right before the half to Germie Bernard was another dot, prompting color analyst Joel Klatt to call it a "graduate level" throw.

Milroe's performance on the road has him squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation three weeks into the season. He finished sixth in voting a year ago, and his continued improvement will have him in the conversation all season long.

Ryan Williams

I know you are tired of hearing it because it's all anyone can talk about. But it's for good reason. This kid is 17-years-old. He should be tormenting high school defensive backs across the state of Alabama and instead he's tormenting collegiate defensive backs.

You could chalk up his first two games as him taking advantage of lower level competition, but against Wisconsin Williams was facing a secondary with two likely NFL players back there.

Williams led the Tide in receiving for the third game in a row, catching four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. It's his fourth touchdown of the season, and he's up to 285 yards on 8 receptions (35.6 yards-per-catch). He's a big play, highlight reel waiting to happen.

When I see the ball in the air heading his way, I'm holding my breath and expecting magic to happen. On College Gameday Saturday morning, Nick Saban raved about Williams, and compared him to another wide receiver at Alabama who made an impact as a freshman in Amari Cooper.

The difference is it took Cooper a few games to find his footing and for Alabama to figure out he was the best receiver on the team already. It has taken Williams no time to find his footing, and Alabama seems well aware that he's the best receiver on the roster.

Kadyn Proctor

Really, this game ball goes to the entire offensive line, but I'll single out Proctor because he was the missing piece to the offensive puzzle. Proctor missed the first two games of the season after suffering a shoulder injury in pre-game warmups ahead of the season opener against Western Kentucky.

Alabama was sluggish for most of the evening against USF last week, but those issues were not present this week with the return of Proctor to Milroe's blindside. Alabama averaged 6.5 yards-per-carry until garbage time, and racked up 181 rushing yards in the game.

Milroe had ample time to throw and pick apart the Badgers secondary, and never felt uncomfortable in the pocket. Proctor's return, and Elijah Pritchett stepping into the right tackle role, has allowed the Crimson Tide offense to unleash its full potential.

Defense

LT Overton

Texas A&M transfer LT Overton was the talk of fall camp, and it was only a matter of time before he had a breakout performance after a relatively quiet first two weeks.

Overton was a menace in Madison, bullying the Wisconsin offensive line. He finished with six tackles, a tackle-for-loss, and one devastating sack of Wisconsin backup QB Braedyn Locke that knocked the ball loose.

Deontae Lawson

The junior linebacker finished second on the team with seven tackles, and came up with two huge plays that you would expect from a veteran leader in the middle of your defense.

The first came late in the first quarter with Wisconsin leading 3-0 following a missed field goal by Alabama's Graham Nicholson. It was 4th-and-1 with the Badgers driving inside the Alabama 40, and a conversion and points on that possession would have the momentum firmly in Wisconsin's corner. But, Lawson shot the gap on 4th down and stoned the running back cold to turn the Badgers over.

Four plays later and Alabama found the endzone for the first time.

In the fourth quarter with Alabama leading 28-10 and following a three-and-out for the Tide's offense off the heels of a long Wisconsin touchdown drive, Lawson stripped Wisconsin RB Cade Yacamelli and Que Robinson recovered it. Three plays later, Milroe ran in a 10 yard touchdown to officially shut the door on Luke Fickell's team.

Malachi Moore

Malachi Moore suffered a head injury in the third quarter that knocked him out of the game, but before that the super senior was having a terrific game. Moore was flying all over the place, and finished tied for 2nd with Lawson with seven tackles. He narrowly missed getting his first interception of the season, but he did get to don the turnover belt anyway.

In the second quarter with Alabama leading 7-3, Moore knocked the ball loose from Wisconsin's Chez Mellusi after a 21-yard gain. Zabien Brown recovered it, and Alabama took full advantage of the takeaway, putting the ball into the endzone seven plays later to give the Crimson Tide a two possession lead that they would never relinquish.

Moore's the veteran presence in a young secondary and it will be paramount to have him back in two weeks for the Georgia game. His mom posted a positive update on twitter that has Tide fans breathing a big sigh of relief.

Special Teams

James Burnip

I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shoutout to James Burnip, who had an excellent day punting the football. Burnip punted five times and averaged just a shade under 49-yards per kick, pinning the Badgers inside their own 20 four times.

He unleashed a 64-yard bomb that traveled all 64-yards in the air. Alabama has won nearly every award imaginable in college football, but has never had a Ray Guy award winner. Burnip might change that this season.