Before last night’s clash between two top-five SEC heavyweights, Alabama fans would have been thrilled with a win of any kind. It took exactly a quarter for those expectations to change enough for a seven-point win to leave some dissatisfied. Regardless, Alabama managed to open SEC play and post the nation’s best resume to start the season.

It’s fair to say that both the offense and defense demonstrated their full range of capabilities, for better or worse. There will be more room for error in most games on the schedule, but Georgia did them a favor by exposing the errors rather than simply taking the hits that seemed to be on the menu as MIlroe that scored 28-0. And recognize Georgia for its resilience. They develop their own identity as monsters in the second half and will undoubtedly be a tough opponent in the playoffs.

But this night belonged to Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide. A few impressions:

Jalen Milroe is showing real growth as a passer.

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Milroe will never be the most accurate passer from an accuracy perspective. This is largely an innate ability, just like his athleticism. What impressed me early in the offense was his ability to read coverage and get the ball out quickly, something he struggled with at times. Alabama fans who have lamented the lack of a passing game in between should be encouraged by what we saw, particularly from Germie Bernard and the tight ends.

Of course, Jalen still loves throwing the ball deep. It’s no coincidence that when the game was on the line, he came back and dedicated himself to his favorite emerging target…

Protect Ryan Williams at all costs.

Williams finished the game with an impressive stat line, but it’s the catch up top and the double pirouette YAC to the end zone late in the game that shows how special he is. If Alabama manages to win the national title in Kalen DeBoer’s first season, young Ryan will play a big role. He is clearly the player with the best offensive ability on the roster, and with the possible exception of Milroe, he appears to be the best athlete on the field at all times.

DeBoer has him return kicks and punts. As good as Cole Adams looks, I’d like to entrust him with these tasks. Maybe the little mental mistake that got Alabama inside its own 5 late in the game will inspire the coaches to put someone else back there. Kendrick Law’s injury will be big here.

The pass protection was outstanding.

The big uglies allowed no sacks and very little pressure on the night against a lightning-quick Georgia defense. This enabled Milroe to set these pressure packs on fire at the start of the game. At this point, it becomes painfully clear that getting Kadyn Proctor back into the fold was just as important as securing Williams.

The penalties still need to be cleaned up and the inside running game was non-existent, but Georgia’s defensive line is always difficult to beat.

The lightning attacks were well timed and well executed.

Kane Wommack applied pressure a few times throughout the game and they finished with some degree of regularity. Beck made some big mistakes under duress, including his first interception Domani Jackson made a nice play and the intentional grounding call from his own end zone. It’s still early enough in the season that Wommack has time to install some more exotic stuff, and based on the fourth quarter, they’ll need it.

The secondary had high highs and low lows.

Nothing says boom or bust like allowing 439 yards and three touchdowns while intercepting the ball three times. The Alabama defense skillfully blocked the intermediate passing game, but the deep shoulder injury on the sideline was an Achilles heel that almost cost the game. Wommack needs to figure out how to better defend the deep ball. This could well mean having to make more blitzes to get the ball out.

Self-exploration of the comeback will be a key to the season.

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The Alabama coaching staff clearly put in the work before this game. Both football teams were able to exploit Georgia’s weaknesses and as a result the first 20 minutes of the game were incredibly one-sided. However, Georgia was able to adapt, and now Alabama’s staff has more work to do. In addition to the secondary issues mentioned above, Alabama’s offense was misfired for more than half the game. While Georgia has a great run defense, Jam Miller and Justice Haynes still need more than 11 total carries, especially with a big lead. And Georgia was clearly able to shake Milroe’s confidence a bit early in the game by taking away his edge runs and chasing him a bit.

Of course, there’s still work to be done, but Alabama is currently 4-0, will likely be ranked No. 2 nationally in the worst-case scenario polls, and has the edge for a spot in Atlanta. There is still a lot of time left in the season and there are some difficult matches ahead, including a trip to Knoxville in October that will be incredibly difficult. As this team continues to develop, the sky is the limit.

Roll Tide.