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Is Alabama’s run game back?
That seems to be the prevailing takeaway from the Crimson Tide’s 45-17 road win over Kentucky, as Daniel Hill rushed for a career-high 104 yards, spearheading a 150-yard second-half outburst for the team on the ground. The running backs were at the center of a 32-0 second half that saw Alabama dominate in every aspect.
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In this film analysis, I’ll highlight some of the players and moments that made the breakout day possible. But first, we’ll dive into the ups and downs from Keelon Russell’s first road start and look into a few of the many bright spots from Kane Wommack’s defense.
Keelon Russell
“The world’s gonna be like, ‘Oh he’s a young quarterback,’ but like I said last week, I don’t describe myself as a young quarterback. I describe myself as a veteran quarterback.”Keelon Russell, postgame
Veteran moments from a young QB
Russell holds himself to that standard, and he lived up to it numerous times against Kentucky. First of all, there was the general composure he displayed down the stretch as he refused to succumb to the adversity of his early mistakes (more on those shortly). But there was one second-quarter drive that highlighted the best of his “veteran” traits.
It starts on a third-and-20, with Alabama backed up due to a pair of penalties. Right tackle Jayvin James gets beat, and Russell sees the pocket collapsing, steps up, and finds Marshall Pritchett on the run to move the chains.
After a four-yard rush from Hill sets up second-and-six, we get an excellent check from Russell. He gets the numbers he wants in the box, and Hill does the rest, picking up 16 yards.
There were many times throughout the first half where Russell appeared uneasy, but here he’s got full control. He then checked again on the very next snap, leading to an eight-yard completion to Brown.
Despite the fact that it ended in a Conor Talty field goal, this entire drive was excellent for Russell. If he’s capable of commanding an offense like this after just one start, how much more prepared will he be the next time Alabama goes on the road, in three weeks against Mississippi State?
Rookie moments from a young QB
Unfortunately for Russell, his next drive went in the complete opposite direction. He took a nine-yard sack on the first play, and then proceeded to rifle the most head-scratching throw of his season thus far.
Russell had three turnovers in the first half, the other two being a first-drive pick-six (see below) and a lost fumble. This was far and away the worst. Russell never even looks to the other side of the field. If he had, he would’ve seen that Rico Scott was gaining separation (look to the top of the screen at the 0:04 and 0:13 marks), and could have very likely put six points on the board.
Color commentator Greg McElroy put it perfectly: “This is just a gift.”
Russell tried giving away another one in the third quarter, as he never took his eyes off Coleman-Williams and was only saved from his third interception of the day thanks to a drop.
RP-No
Ill-advised throws are one thing. Everybody makes them, and Ryan Grubb won’t be changing anything about the offense as a result of the few times Russell got too trigger-happy.
Where Russell’s inexperience was truly exposed was in the RPO game. Alabama left a lot of yardage on the table on plays where he should’ve simply handed the ball off. The prime example came here, in the third quarter, where Trae’Shawn Brown had a massive lane, and Russell instead ended up having his pass batted down at the line.
We don’t have a great angle on the broadcast, but look at everything that Brown has ahead of him in this frame. The line is perfectly positioned for the freshman to rip off a substantial run and, at the very least, set up a third-and-short.
Russell’s first-quarter pick-six also came on an RPO.
This is mainly being included here due to the outcome of the play. Weird things are bound to occur on these options, and you can’t really fault Russell for trying to get the ball to Ryan Coleman-Williams on third-and-long. Kentucky defensive lineman Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace made a nice, athletic play, creating a good “Welcome to the SEC” moment for the sophomore.
But the larger trend from the game was that Russell has a lot of work to do in learning not to pass up on free yards. That will come with experience.
Defense
We’ll take an intermission from the offense to examine the other side of the ball, where the notes are entirely positive. Kane Wommack’s unit has been elite, and there’s frankly almost nothing significant to criticize through 120 minutes of gameplay. When a team gives up just one third-down conversion over two games, what else is there to really say?
Devan Thompkins, game-wrecker
USC transfer Devan Thompkins has been as-advertised, more-than living up to his massive portal pricetag. He made his presence felt from the opening drive against the Wildcats, as he beat his man and forced Kentucky QB Kenny Minchey out of the pocket and straight into the path of Caleb Woodson.
Thompkins recorded two sacks against the Wildcats, his first two in a Crimson Tide uniform, and they both came in very different ways. The first was through sheer power.
Thompkins explodes off the snap, collapses the interior of the pocket, and sheds the block at the perfect moment to finish the play. The size and strength of the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Thompkins will make life difficult for interior linemen all season. We are seeing Wommack’s vision of a physically imposing defensive front come to fruition.
And then Thompkins’ versatility elevates things to a new level.
In the first clip (Woodson’s sack), Minchey knows he has to escape due to the empty backfield. He lacks that urgency this time around, and Thompkins makes him pay. He can disrupt the game on the inside, and he can flip it upside-down at bandit. That’s a scary premonition for opposing offensive coordinators.
Excellent stuff from Keon Sabb
The controversial replay review (which awarded Kentucky a first down) overshadowed an exceptional play from the fifth-year safety.
Almost a big-time play from Keon Sabb, who punched the ball out on 4th and 1 to force a turnover on downs.
A replay review overturned the spot and Kentucky will keep possession, but you can’t ask for much more from Sabb here. pic.twitter.com/Y7A2wzKNbF
– Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) September 12, 2026
Sabb is all over this play from the jump. Regardless of what the call should have been, he did his job perfectly, and scouts will certainly take note.
Here are the (many) broadcast angles of the play…
Jireh Edwards is ready
This is probably the most vanilla take of the entire breakdown, but, yes, the five-star phenom who has been hyped up by seemingly every single coach and teammate for the past six months is game-ready. Edwards fractured his arm just 21 days ago, and it doesn’t even matter. He hasn’t missed a beat.
The energy he brings is infectious. It was visible from the start of pregame warmups against ECU, and we finally got to see it on the field on Saturday. Edwards’ first action came on the kickoff team, and he made it extremely apparent that he wanted snaps in the secondary.
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You can tell just how badly Jireh Edwards (#10) wants to be out there regularly on defense for Alabama. pic.twitter.com/7l0wGiDwn9
– Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) September 12, 2026
He got them in the second half, and it didn’t take long for him to show why all of the excitement was warranted.
It’s a shame we didn’t get a replay angle of this one, as Edwards times his run perfectly. The camera cut right at the snap gives off the effect that he just spawned into the Kentucky backfield, and, honestly, he may as well have.
In what may be the nation’s deepest secondary, Edwards is going to prove too talented to be kept off the field.
Chuck McDonald III earning his snaps
To back up the “deepest secondary” claim, here’s a beautiful pass breakup from sophomore cornerback Chuck McDonald III. This one officially iced the game, forcing a turnover on downs to give Alabama the ball at midfield up by 21 with seven minutes to play.
McDonald drew praise from Wommack throughout fall camp and should see the field regularly throughout the season as a rotational piece at both corner and husky. He’s viewed as one of the key young pieces in the room and will have an inside track at a starting job next season.
The Run Game
As promised, we’ve arrived at the most impressive aspect of the road win. The success on the ground was extremely encouraging given last year’s struggles, and represents the payoff of an entire offseason devoted to finding answers.
Good job, Ryan
Will Coleman-Williams ever be an all-world blocker? Doubtful. But he can’t be a liability. And I’ve seen some encouraging signs that the junior has taken significant steps forward in that regard through the first two games, which is fully encapsulated by this near-touchdown run from Daniel Hill.
There was talk (which was overblown) a week ago about Coleman-Williams “giving up” on plays. That did not happen here, as he ensures Jordan Castell (who had the second-quarter pick) does not have an angle on Hill.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t give Hill his credit here. The physical traits were always there, but he did not exhibit this kind of vision a year ago. Here we see the combination of both on full display, from the spin out of trouble to the cut into open space.
Final note on this play: watch as Jackson Lloyd (#77) helps take out two defenders. Excellent stuff from the sophomore left tackle, who had an even better snap moments later…
Jackson Lloyd is STRONG
Here it is…
This touchdown is created by Lloyd, who executes perfectly on the inside zone, bulldozing everything in his path. Lloyd has exceeded my expectations for him through these first two games, but there have certainly been learning moments…
Another week, another explosive touchdown run called back
One of the biggest came on this would-be rushing touchdown from Russell.
Keelon Russell’s rushing TD was called back due to offsetting penalties, both holds.
You can get a good look at the call on Jackson Lloyd (#77) in the center of the screen. pic.twitter.com/7QfNe7Lu0o
– Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) September 12, 2026
Lloyd hangs onto his man just a split-second too long as Russell breaks for the open field. Yes, “holds” of this nature are ignored all the time, but the ref almost has to throw the flag here as Lloyd is right in front of him. At 6-foot-7, 326 pounds, he is going to live under a microscope in these moments.
Alabama’s three-headed monster
13 personnel is going to be a staple of this Alabama offense. It was one of the bright spots from the ECU game, and continued to shine against Kentucky, particularly in the second half.
Here we see Kaleb Edwards (#81), Jay Lindsey (#88), and Josh Ford (#40) all lined up on the left side, and they all execute their roles to perfection on this third-quarter EJ Crowell jet sweep.
Any doubts about the tight ends holding up physically against SEC opposition should be extinguished, or at least heavily silenced. Lindsey’s pancake was a well-deserved highlight for a player who has excelled as a blocker through two games.
Expect to see a lot more of that in the red zone, and less of this…
Alabama goes empty on third and goal, and Keelon Russell gets killed. pic.twitter.com/1Y9VHtZPVH
– Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) September 12, 2026
Final Thoughts
The Alabama run game is rightfully receiving a lot of praise for its performance on Saturday. Hill’s vision appears to have improved significantly, Crowell seems basically unaffected by the time missed in fall camp, and Brown has lived up to the offseason hype. But the bigger story is that Alabama has the physicality up front to enable the trio (and eventually AK Dear) to run with a level of confidence that simply did not exist last year.
With Dear getting back into the mix over the coming (2-3?) weeks, Michael Carroll returning, and the rest of the young line developing, the run game has so much room for improvement.
Do I expect 150-yard second halves to be the norm? No. We do have to remember that Kentucky has one of the worst defensive fronts in the conference. But I do expect the promising early returns on the ground to continue. The incompetence of last year’s run game is gone, and there should be a lot of excitement about what that means for the entire offense.
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Today’s best reads
- What We Learned from Alabama’s 45-17 Win at Kentucky: Tide Takeaways
- What the Film Showed Us in Keelon Russell’s First Start
- East Carolina at No. 13 Alabama Football: Game Central Rundown, Analysis
- What We Learned from Alabama’s Blowout Win over East Carolina: Tide Takeaways
- Tide Up, Tide Down for Alabama’s Season-Opening Win Over East Carolina
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Alabama Film Analysis: Keelon’s Highs and Lows, a Dominant Run Game, and More From Lexington.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 5:14 AM.