The Tide kicked off the season in impressive fashion on Saturday.
A night game at Bryant-Denny Stadium set the stage for Kalen DeBoer’s debut as Alabama’s head coach. Quarterback Jalen Milroe shared his thoughts on playing the first game under DeBoer.
“It was awesome. What made it so great was seeing all the hard work we put in behind the scenes finally come to light. I’m really excited for our offense and the whole team because we’ve grown so much, even when it wasn’t visible to others. We’ve poured so much into each other during the offseason, and it’s paying off. To take the field with Coach DeBoer today and then give him the game ball afterward was really special. These are moments we’ll cherish,” said Milroe.
Heading into the game, there were questions about new head coach Kalen DeBoer and how the team would perform. However, after racking up 600 yards of offense and 42 points in the first half, many concerns were put to rest. DeBoer spoke about the significance of the first win.
“Getting that first win is always important. I told the guys every victory is something they’ve worked hard for, and we should enjoy it. We’ve got a lot to review and improve on now that we have game film, but I’m proud of how they started strong on both sides of the ball. The energy was great throughout the game, and we got a lot of players involved,” said DeBoer.
One of those players was Meridian’s own Daniel Hill. The true freshman scored his first touchdown as a member of the Tide and took several handoffs at running back later in the game.
It was a great debut for Alabama and DeBoer, with the final score from Tuscaloosa being 63-0 over the Hilltoppers.
