3 Keys to Victory for Alabama Football Against South Florida

Alabama football will face South Florida on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, a week after UA beat Western Kentucky 63-0 to open the 2024 season. The Bulls terrified the Crimson Tide in Tampa last year, and Kalen DeBoer's team will look to avoid another game as competitive as that.

The game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. CT. It will be broadcast on ESPN.

Before the game begins, here are three keys to victory for Alabama.

Take out the quarterback

Byrum Brown is one of the best quarterbacks in the Group of 5. He could even be one of the best quarterbacks the Crimson Tide will face in the 2024 season.

Alabama has more talent across the board than the Bulls, that's pretty obvious on paper, but Saturday is an opportunity to face a player who can and will drive the Tide crazy if they underestimate his abilities.

“I think this quarterback is dynamic with his feet, you saw that a year ago,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. “He can extend plays, especially on passing attempts with his feet. So we're going to have to do a tremendous job this week to keep him in check. So that's going to be a big challenge for our players and we're all looking forward to getting ready for that.”

Brown played well against Bethune-Cookman in the season opener, completing 13 of his 20 passes in the game for 152 yards and running for 74 yards and a score.

Of course, the Tide's defense can play along. But stopping Brown might prove a little more difficult than stopping Western Kentucky's TJ Finley.

Keep the offensive going

Alabama's offense couldn't sustain many attacks in last week's win. The reason: The Crimson Tide didn't have to.

UA had short drives due to the large number of explosive plays. It will be interesting to see against South Florida if the Tide takes a little longer to score touchdowns after possession.

Alabama struggled on offense against the Bulls last season and played sloppy across the board. In that game, Jalen Milroe was on the bench, Tyler Buchner started at quarterback, and Ty Simpson replaced him.

With the first Power 5 opponent on the schedule next week, Saturday's matchup will be about fine-tuning the machine. The Tide can't afford another performance like last year if they want to keep fans excited in DeBoer's first season.

“Protect our field”

Before Saturday's game, a notable ceremony will take place outside the stadium. Nick Saban will be in attendance as the field inside the stadium is renamed Saban Field.

The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2:30 p.m. CT on the Walk of Champions. Alabama's players will not be able to attend due to their usual game preparations, but DeBoer said he hopes they will play a big role in the day's festivities.

“I know we have a lot of respect for it and we're going to make sure we continue to do everything we can to make it our home and protect our field from now on, just as it has been for the 17 years he's been here,” DeBoer said Monday.

For Crimson Tide players, the best way to honor Saban's legacy on the field that will be named after him is to continue to win games. If that gives Alabama a little extra motivation heading into its game against South Florida, all the better.