Alabama proves its point: The new boss is a whole lot like the old boss

MADISON, Wis. — Beneath a stadium filled an hour earlier with people wearing overalls bearing the markings of cows, Alabama players enjoyed their first huge win without the GOAT. 

Western Kentucky was overmatched, so no conclusions could be drawn. Alabama looked sloppy against USF until the fourth quarter. But on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama team looked like Nick Saban’s Alabama team, overwhelming a power conference opponent to the point that its fans waited for their favorite song and then headed to the bars.

“We knew that was going to happen,” Alabama receiver Germie Bernard said. “Coach Ballou talked all week about clearing the stadium out, because that’s the standard.”

David Ballou is Alabama’s strength coach. He was hired in 2020 by Saban, and he’s one of many pieces of connective tissue in this program who can remind everyone that the standard didn’t change when Saban retired and took a TV gig. Bernard, meanwhile, is one of the people who helped the players Saban recruited learn how to play for DeBoer. Bernard played for DeBoer at Washington last year as the Huskies won the Pac-12 and reached the national title game.

This combination of old and new looked glorious Saturday from the moment offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor — who missed the USF game with an injury and whose health was a major topic of discussion this week — led Alabama out of the tunnel. Jalen Milroe completed 12 of 17 passes for 196 yards, including beautiful touchdown throws to 17-year-old Ryan Williams and to the aforementioned Bernard. The Tide averaged 5.3 yards a carry on the ground. The defense, excoriated by coordinator Kane Wommack for forcing zero turnovers against USF, knocked loose four fumbles and recovered two.

With an open date before top-ranked Georgia invades Tuscaloosa on Sept. 28, Alabama sent the desired message. Meet the new boss, (pretty much) the same as the old boss.

“In previous years Alabama was the best of the best,” said Alabama tailback Jam Miller, who ran for 71 yards and a touchdown. “People this year really don’t think we’re the best since we’ve got a new head coach and new OC. We’ve just got to prove our point to people.”

As Miller spoke, another piece of connective tissue walked through. Mark Ingram, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner who Saban imported from Michigan in his first full-cycle recruiting class at Alabama, was leaving Camp Randall after his Fox show signed off the air. “Keep totin’ that tater, my dawg,” Ingram told Miller. “My boy, holding it down for RBU.”

The Tide wanted to make this point, and not only because this once-in-a-blue-moon matchup drew the nation’s attention. But it didn’t hurt that they got hammered over the head with one particular Wisconsin tradition all week.

Between the third and fourth quarters Wisconsin plays House of Pain’s Jump Around. The fans do as Everlast commands and leap up and down. All that tonnage shakes the stadium, and it’s a sight to behold when the Badgers are bullying a Big Ten opponent. But when the home team is getting punked, the fans get out-jumped by the visiting sideline. That’s what happened Saturday. 

Alabama players pogoed while the fans made postgame plans. “We had a tough week of practice of listening to that jump song,” Bernard said. “We were ready to shut that weak-ass jump song down.”

They did. And they would have done it whether Saban was coaching them or DeBoer was coaching them.

“I’d probably even try to get Saban to jump around,” Miller said.