Alabama didn’t exactly hit the ground running last night, but burying South Carolina before halftime on Saturday, September 26, 2026, still says something. It wasn’t a full four-quarter masterpiece from the Crimson Tide, but one dude just put a game on tape that’s gonna have everyone talking: Keelon Russell.
Russell’s Got the Sauce, But the Run Game Is Ugly
The hype train is about to blast off the rails for Keelon Russell. Seriously, defensive coordinators across the SEC are losing sleep, because this kid is the real deal. He’s reading defenses at a level way beyond his experience and just dropping dimes to all areas of the field, hitting a multitude of receivers. Remember Bryce Young’s deep ball struggles early on? Russell has all of Bryce’s good traits without that flaw, and he’s even bigger. The dude is terrifying, an elite passer, and one of the best athletes on the field. And hey, he even learned to slide! We need him healthy, for sure.
Now, while Russell was slinging it, the run game took a major step back. It was ugly. South Carolina knew what they were doing, shooting a few too many gaps and snagging five tackles for loss. They basically dared Russell to beat them, which turned out to be a poor choice. Still, Alabama’s backs only mustered 92 yards on 20 carries, and 57 of those came on just two plays. You don’t need to be a math major to know the other 18 runs produced next to nothing. Trae’shawn Brown had a bit more success than Daniel Hill, and Crowell showed some juice. EJ looks a lot like a young Najee Harris, especially with the hurdles (he probably goes to those too often), and it’s tough to see him not moving to the top of the heap. We just haven’t seen much of AK Dear yet.
Pass Pro Held Up, But the Run Defense Was Gashed
Good news, though: the pass protection held up well. South Carolina’s front, especially with Dylan Stewart out there, can definitely get after the passer. It wasn’t perfect, but Russell generally had time to operate. With his accuracy and all the athletes Alabama has out wide, giving him time for double moves and deep overs is a recipe for disaster for opponents. The line will face tougher defensive fronts, though, especially in two weeks when Georgia rolls into town, so development is still needed. But you gotta love what you’ve seen so far.
On defense, they did a solid job cutting down on explosive passes allowed. Nyck Harbor’s deep ball past Dijon Lee was pretty much the only noticeable exception. But then the run defense had a rough night. Matt Fuller ripped off a huge gain on the very first snap. While they settled down for the rest of the first half, giving up 216 rushing yards on 40 carries by the end isn’t pretty. Part of the problem might be that the offense scored so fast early on, then had trouble staying on the field in the third quarter. Even with a big lead, the defense seemed to get a bit tired, and some missing depth probably contributed to that, too.
So, while Keelon Russell is lighting it up, the Tide needs to shore up that run game and get the run defense figured out before they face Georgia. It’s gonna be a big test!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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