Alabama moved to 2-0 on the season last night with a 42-16 win over South Florida. While the score looks like the Crimson Tide cruised, it was a 1-point game entering the fourth quarter, and was much more competitive than the score indicates thanks to a plethora of mistakes from the Alabama offense throughout the night. With the game now over, here are five game balls for some of the best performances from the win.
Tim Keenan
Alabama’s defensive line was going to need a big game, as USF quarterback Byrum Brown is known for being a threat with his legs. After having an excellent first half rushing, he was greatly limited in the second half, thanks in large part to Tim Keenan ‘s presence up front. He plugged the middle perfectly throughout the night, continually dominating his matchup in the trenches. He finished the game with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFLs, both leading the team, in a very strong overall defensive game from the Crimson Tide.
Jam Miller
The Alabama offensive line wasn’t giving great protection throughout the night, making passing downs difficult with all the pressure that was getting to the quarterback. Alabama had to lean on the run game on the drives it was able to sustain, and Jam Miller was the most productive runner on the team. He finished the game with 140 yards on 14 carries, highlighted by a 56-yard score in the fourth quarter to ice the game. This Alabama backfield has a 3-headed monster that can all be dangerous, it just happened that Miller was the one to shine this game.
Jihaad Campbell
There’s a case to be made that linebacker Jihaad Campbell is the best defensive player on the Alabama team. For the second game in a row he led the team in tackles, this time posting 11. He flew sideline to sideline making plays, showing off his physicality and athleticism, and being a key reason why this Alabama defense was able to hold USF for field goals even after being given a few short fields. He probably should have gotten a game ball from me last week, and he gets one here.
Elijah Pritchett
Right tackle Elijah Pritchett didn’t play until the middle of the fourth quarter, which Kalen DeBoer said was due to him nursing an injury and the staff being cautious about his health. Starting right tackle Wilkin Formby struggled mightily throughout the game, particularly with holding calls, so Pritchett got called on to close out the game. With Pritchett in the game, the offense seemed to immediately click. Alabama scored touchdowns on all three drives Pritchett was in the game, and two of them on long run plays that were called to Pritchett’s side of the line. There’s a good chance Pritchett just positioned himself to win the right tackle job with the performance he put together last night.
Jalen Milroe
Some people have said quarterback Jalen Milroe played bad, but I’d push back on that statement. He didn’t play great, but he made some things work with what he was given. As I mentioned earlier, the USF defensive front was pressuring him all night, and impressively, he was able to evade pressure and make some nice plays despite having defensive linemen in his face moments after the snap at times. He missed on some deep balls, but ultimately completed 17-of-27 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, while also added two rushing touchdowns to go with it. Scoring four touchdowns is enough to earn you a game ball around here, even if there are certainly some things he can improve on in the weeks to come.
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