Alabama football cruised to victory over No. 3 Florida State in the premier game of the Week 1 slate. Still, a few major questions remain following the game.
In a game that had serious college football play-off implications, Alabama and Florida State faced off on neutral turf. The winner would be in the drivers seat for the College Football Playoff. After four hard-fought four quarters the Alabama Crimson Tide proved victorious.
The two teams expertly exchanged blows for much of the first half like seasoned boxers, carefully watching each other’s moves and looking for a weakness to exploit. After blocking a kick to end the first half, Alabama dropped the hammer on Florida State in the second half.
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Florida State’s offense moved the ball consistently during the first half, but fell flat in the second half. They were shutout in the final two quarters by the stingy Alabama defense. Quarterback Deondre Francois was under pressure from Alabama’s front seven constantly. That pressure hit a tipping point when his night ended in an unfortunate injury.
Florida State gave Alabama their best, but the result wasn’t that close. Few teams can go toe to toe against Alabama for four quarters and come out on top. Last year’s Clemson team proved to be the exception, not the rule.
The Tide won, and they sit atop the college football world yet again. But here’s what we don’t know yet. What questions remain unanswered after this heavy weight bout?
3. Can Alabama ride special teams to a title?
All three phases of Alabama’s team played well in their 24-7 win against number three Florida State, but no unit shined brighter than Joe Pannunzio’s special teams unit. Punts and field goals are usually when the average fan leaves the televesion for more beer or a restroom break. You can’t take your eyes off this Bama unit.
Alabama blocked two kicks on the night. One came at the end of first half the other later in the second half with the game in hand. They also forced a fumble on a Florida State kickoff that resulted in a short touchdown run the following play.
The Tide’s special teams unit often forced the Seminoles to start their drives with horrible field position. At worst, the Seminoles began a drive inside their own five yard line.
Many teams choose to fill their special teams unit with young players and walk ons who do not start on either offense or defense, but coach Nick Saban instead made the decision to include some of his star players on his special teams units, to great success. Special teams might not make as many highlights next to the Tide’s dominant offense and defense. Still, they’re one of the best units in the nation.
On offense, Alabama rushed for 173 yards, and passed for 96 behind sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts. That’s not a lot of offense for a team that typically moves the ball with ease. The defense did more to hold their own. The Tide allowed just 210 passing yards and an 40 yards on the ground.
Alabama is one of the most well-balanced teams in all of college football. When the offense stalls and someone finally scores on the Tide, can special teams provide that extra championship push?
2. How much time will Deondre Francois Miss?
Arguably the biggest story-line to come out of Florida State’s Week 1 game against Alabama was the injury of starting quarterback Deondre Francois. With less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Francois was tackled hard in the backfield and grimaced in pain. Mere minutes later, Francois left the Florida State medical tent on crutches. He then exited the field in a medical golf cart, hands locked tightly in prayer.
This injury was truly unfortunate for the Seminoles, because for the majority of the night Francois was the team’s best player. Francois went 19-33 for 210 yards and a 1-2 touchdown to interception ratio, but for the majority of the night the sophomore quarterback was making NFL throws into tight windows.
While the exact extent of his leg injury is still unknown, losing Francois, arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, would be devastating to Florida State’s chances of returning to the College Football Playoff.
With backup quarterback James Blackmon under center, Florida State offense, noticeably discouraged by the loss of their leader, failed to score another point for the remainder of the game. They left the field on the wrong side of a 24-7 game.
Fisher: "I'm not a doctor. Unfortunately, he's hurt."
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) September 3, 2017
Most teams keep injuries close to the vest. It could be days, maybe even a week until we know the extent of Francois injury. His absence would prove to be a monumental challenge for the Seminoles. Let all hope Francois’ injury isn’t season ending, and that he has a speedy recovery, because a rematch between Florida State and Alabama could be one for the ages.
1. Will there be a rematch in January?
Alabama and Florida State may very well be the two best teams in all of college football. Their Week 1 showdown was unprecedented. With a pair of sophomore quarterbacks trading blows like proven veterans, this game looked much more like an NFL playoff game than one in week one of the college football season. And we could see it all again at the end of the season.
Alabama has run the SEC since Nick Saban arrived on campus in 2007. Thatthat doesn’t look like it will end any time soon. The Tides’ biggest opposition in conference, Florida was absolutely manhandled by No. 11 Michigan. In the SEC West, Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers look primed to potentially reach 10 wins for the first time since 2013. The Iron Bowl might determine the SEC’s representative in the College Football Playoff. Are you bold enough to pick against Saban, especially now?
Alabama is playing football at an unbelievably high level. Regardless of the outcome of today’s game, Alabama was always going to be in the conversation for the playoff.
In the ACC, Florida state looks ready to finally return to the top of the power rankings, after coming up short of Clemson over the last two seasons. While teams like Miami, Louisville and Clemson played well in their week one games, Florida State showed up against arguably the best team in college football and match them shot-for-shot for much of the evening.
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Alabama and Florida State are the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers of the 2017 college football season. Only time will tell if they will meet again in the college football championship game. If they do it could be something special.