How Alabama responded to watching film of Florida State loss

The Crimson Tide players and coaches continue working toward the season opener in practice Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Alabama linebacker Qua Russaw (4) takes a break during the practice.

For those wondering what Alabama’s film session was like on Sunday, following the Crimson Tide’s 31-17 loss at Florida State, take it from Qua Russaw. 

“You wouldn’t want to be in there,” the starting linebacker said following Tuesday’s practice. 

It’s safe to say things got a little spirited as Alabama’s defense looked back at an opening loss that featured 14 missed tackles while allowing Florida State to pile up 230 yards on the ground. 

“We’ve got to do better,” Russaw said. “The stuff we do at practice has got to show up in the game. Obviously, we work hard out there in practice, but we got to take the next step, being dominant and just flying around having fun out there on game day.” 

During his Monday press conference, Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack described his unit as “timid” on multiple occasions. That played a large part in FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos getting to the edge, as the dual-threat passer gashed the Tide for 78 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts. 

“I thought we let adversity put us on our heels,” Wommack said. “We played hesitant at times because of that. That was striking for all of us because that’s not the identity of our defense. That’s never been who we are. That’s not who these players are.”

While those statements are damning, Alabama players can’t argue with their coach’s assessment. 

“It is what it is,” Russaw said. “Watching the film, that’s how we look. Playing on our toes, hesitant, not shooting gaps.” 

When asked on Tuesday, Russaw attributed Alabama’s defensive hesitancy to players being “a little scared to mess up.” The message from coaches this week has been to remove hesitancy, as players have been told to “just pull the pin and go.”

That’s not necessarily a new concept for Alabama, which brings up the question of why Tide defender were in their own heads over the weekend.

“I don’t know,” Russaw said when asked Tuesday. “That’s something I can’t answer.” 

Another unexplainable flaw in last weekend’s loss was Alabama’s apparent lack of effort at times. Starting safety Bray Hubbard faced plenty of criticism after a clip of him jogging during a Florida State touchdown surfaced on the internet. 

“We’re certainly disappointed in some effort situations that happened,” head coch Kalen DeBoer said of his defense on Monday. “They came in different ways, and some of it’s just flat out, gotta pursue. Gotta get there. And it surprises you sometimes when it happens, especially with certain guys because of the of effort that they put out.”

Wommack and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb also spoke out about a lack of intensity on Monday. However, Alabama players didn’t have to wait until after the loss to hear the critiques. 

“During the game, you had Tim Keenan telling us, ‘Bro that’s not it’,” Russaw said of the injured team captain. “He’s watching the game just like, ‘This is not it. This is not the same guys.’ He practiced with us, and he didn’t that.” 

Offensively, quarterback Ty Simpson, center Parker Brailsford, left tackle Kadyn Proctor and wide receiver Germie Bernard have been among some of the biggest voices urging for a change. 

“You’ve got to critique hard,” Bernard said. “That’s how you’re going to get the best out of each and every one of your players. The coaches critique us hard, and the players critique each other hard.”

 That creates a few tough conversations amongst players. While Bernard said those talks haven’t been confrontational, there has been an emphasis on accountability in the past few days. 

“We love each other, we all want the best for each other,” Bernard said. “But we’re not going to allow one guy to stop us from getting to our goal. So holding each other accountable, and that’s what it’s going to take. Being able to be on your brother, yell at your brother if you need to, they know it’s all love at the end of the day.”

Alabama will have an opportunity to correct its errors on Saturday when it hosts Louisiana-Monroe at 6:45 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. After plenty of talk and reflection, the Tide is looking forward to an opportunity to back up its words.

“We’ve just got to prove it on the field,” Russaw said. “That’s how it is. Just going out there on Saturday and proving it, because I believe in all my guys that we’ll hit somebody and we’ll be dominant. We just got to prove that on Saturdays.”