Three key storylines from Alabama’s week one win over WKU
Alabama rolled over Western Kentucky by a score of 63-0 to open its 2024 season. Here are three key storylines from the dominant victory.
Ryan Williams is who we thought he was
The true freshman wide receiver announced his presence in Tuscaloosa very, very loudly. A 17-year old who should be running away from hapless defenders at the high school level, Williams instead ran away from Western Kentucky and turned each of his first two catches into explosive touchdowns.
He was able to score in different ways, showing his versatility on just two touches. First, he ran a vertical pattern up the sideline and took advantage of a WKU coverage bust to get wide open. Jalen Milroe put it on the money and Williams took it 84 yards to the house.
His second reception went more to the post, and we were able to see him operate in traffic after the catch. After making an acrobatic grab, Williams felt the safety coming over the top and made a vicious cut to his right. He was able to split the safety and the corner, absorbing contact from both with his 165-pound frame, before pulling free and waltzing into the end zone once again.
Sure, this isn’t the toughest competition he will face this season, but Ryan Williams made a massive impact in his debut and looked a lot more like the Rydeouts than what Alabama has fielded in recent years.
Sloppy play detracts from offensive explosiveness
Even more so than last year, Alabama’s offense showed extreme explosive ability. Jalen Milroe threw for an obscene 22.2 yards per attempt while the running back duo of Jam Miller and Justice Haynes racked up 156 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. In the first half alone, the Tide scored touchdowns of 39, 55, 84, and 85 yards.
Still, the first game of the Kalen DeBoer era wasn’t a completely clean performance. Alabama was plagued by penalties early on, mostly on the offensive side of the ball. Jalen Milroe nearly turned the ball over on the Tide’s first possession when he was sacked and fumbled. That, plus a couple of snap miscues from Parker Brailsford gave the Alabama faithful flashbacks to last season.
Hopefully, this sloppy play can be chalked up to first game communication issues that will quickly be resolved.
Kadyn Proctor injury
Proctor was arguably the most important offseason addition for the Crimson Tide. After starting at left tackle for the Tide as a true freshman last year, Proctor transferred to Iowa before returning to Tuscaloosa in the spring. In week one, we got a glimpse of what the Alabama offensive line would’ve looked like had he not come back.
Proctor suffered an undisclosed upper body injury during warmups and did not play in the game. It appeared to be a left shoulder injury of some sort, and must have been fairly significant for Proctor to trade his pads and jersey in for a sling.
Alabama went with Elijah Pritchett at left tackle and Wilkin Formby at right tackle in his absence. With the exception of Pritchett getting beat for an early sack, both played fairly well. Ideally, Proctor will be able to return to the lineup sooner rather than later as the schedule quickly toughens in the coming weeks.