03 September, 2017
Alabama has a new home away from home. Alabama, not so much, especially after a national television audience joined those jammed into this sparkling new facility for the Atlanta Falcons to see that the dynasty is alive and well for the Crimson Tide.
Dominating on defense and taking advantage of an terrible special teams showing by No. 3 Florida State, the Crimson Tide got started on what has become its annual quest for the national title with a 24-7 beatdown of the Seminoles on Saturday night at $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
While Alabama will look for a better performance in the passing game moving forward, it's worth noting Hurts was going up against a secondary which featured two preseason All-Americans in Derwin James and Tavarus McFadden. He also has five national championships overall, including four with the Tide.
"I thought we played a great game tonight against a great opponent", Harris said. "The focus that we have right now is what's ahead, not what's behind".
This one was all about that dynamic Bama D.
Terrell Lewis broke into the backfield to stop Florida State's George Campbell for a 4-yard loss on first down. "We had breakdowns. Those were critical plays in the game". Not only was Ridley the top offensive performer - on either team - in the game, he was the only Alabama wideout to catch a pass.
It was the start Alabama fans were dreading, but by the end of the game, the Tide's special teams proved to be the spark it needed to pull past the Seminoles.
The two biggest questions concerning Alabama entering this season were the development of Hurts as a passer and how effective the Tide could be from a pass-rushing standpoint after losing outside linebackers Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams to the NFL.
Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley makes a catch in front of Florida State defensive back Tarvarus McFadden during Saturday night's season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Seminoles had both a punt and field goal blocked, and they also fumbled away a kickoff return that led to a Crimson Tide touchdown.
For now, though, the Seminoles have to worry about their quarterback's health. He was helped to his feet by trainers but couldn't put any weight on his left leg while leaving the field. Francois stayed on the turf after clutching his left knee.
It was a potentially crushing blow on a night that already went bad enough for the Seminoles.
"I hugged him", Fisher said. "We'll get the diagnosis and figure out what we've got to do from here".
Logan Tyler's punt was smothered by Harris, racing in from the left side, and Dylan Moses fell on it at the Florida State 6. Despite starting at the Alabama 31-yard line, the Seminoles were not able to capitalize. On the ensuing kickoff, Keith Gavin fumbled and Alabama linebacker Keith Holcombe recovered. Harris would capitalize on the field position one play later, running in an 11-yard touchdown. A pass-interference penalty by Anthony Averett gave Florida State a first-and-10 at the Alabama 20-yard line with 20 seconds remaining in the half. Yards were tough. The defenses were fast.
"This game tells us where we are", Saban said, "and where we need to go". Saban grumbled that his team "didn't make a lot of explosive plays".
Florida State: The Seminoles were looking to regain a bit of their swagger after back-to-back 10-3 seasons, which would be a cause for celebration at most schools but not in Tallahassee. The Crimson Tide had more success in the running game, but it was an up-hill struggle because of a tough Florida State defense.
