No. 10 Alabama Eyes 35-16 Florida State Win as DeBoer Faces Year 3 Pressure
Updated
Updated · Tomahawk Nation · Sep 18
No. 10 Alabama Eyes 35-16 Florida State Win as DeBoer Faces Year 3 Pressure
3 articles · Updated · Tomahawk Nation · Sep 18
Summary
No. 10 Alabama enters Saturday’s home game against Florida State with a 2-0 start, and Roll ‘Bama Roll’s Brent Taylor projects a 35-16 Tide win after last season’s Seminoles upset.
Kalen DeBoer is viewed as relatively secure despite fan anxiety after back-to-back 4-loss seasons; Taylor said another 4 regular-season losses could make 2027 his last chance, even after an 11-win 2025 campaign.
Quarterback Keelon Russell is 2-0 and flashed high upside, but Taylor said the young starter still forces plays, takes bad sacks and has bouts of inaccuracy that could become a bigger concern soon.
Daniel Hill’s 104-yard rushing game highlighted an offensive line Taylor called improved rather than dominant, with four sacks blamed mostly on Russell; new left tackle Jackson Lloyd drew praise while guard Michael Carroll’s concussion absence remains a concern.
Alabama’s secondary is still seen as its best unit, while the rebuilt front seven has dominated ECU and Kentucky; on offense, Taylor argued Lotzeir Brooks—not Ryan Coleman-Williams—may emerge as the true No. 1 receiver.