Bryce Young didn’t take long to prove he’s the man to lead No. 1 Alabama in its quest for another national title.
Young became the first Crimson Tide quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in his starting debut and the defending champions romped past No. 14 Miami 44-13 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Saturday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After sending another batch of stars off to the NFL, it looks like Nick Saban's team simply reloaded for another run at the title.
Young, a sophomore from Southern California, completed 27 of 38 passes for 344 yards — a performance that even managed to please his demanding coach.
“I thought Bryce did really, really well,” Saban said. “The poise he played with, the command he had. He kind of took what the defense gave him and really directed the offense in a positive way.”
Young opened with a 37-yard touchdown pass to John Metchie, hooked up with tight end Cameron Latu on a pair of scoring plays and buried the Hurricanes with a 94-yard TD strike to Jameson Williams early in the third quarter.
“He did a great job of getting the ball to the right guy at the right time in the right place,” Saban said of Young.
Before Young, Mac Jones and Joe Namath had been the only quarterbacks to throw three TD passes in their first starts for Alabama.
“There was a lot of anticipation," Young said. “It was definitely fun to be out there with my guys.”
Speaking of stellar debuts, Williams had four receptions for 126 yards in his first game for the Tide after transferring from Ohio State.
The Crimson Tide also turned in a dazzling defensive effort at the home of the Falcons, sacking D’Eriq King four times, forcing him into three turnovers and stuffing him on a goal-line stand
Alabama led 27-0 before Miami crossed midfield. King and the Hurricanes simply made too many mistakes to compete with perhaps the greatest dynasty in college football history.
Coach Many Diaz tried to put his best spin on the performance.
“College football is famous for its overreactions after Week 1,” he said. “We don't get our story written one game into the season.”
After romping to Saban's record seventh national title with a 13-0 record, the Tide came into the season with some big holes to fill.
Alabama had a record-tying six players taken in the first round of the NFL draft, including Heisman Trophy-winning receiver DeVonta Smith, star quarterback Jones and defensive stalwart Patrick Surtain II.
Of course, Saban is never short on five-star recruits. The quarterback job went to Young, a dual threat who was highest-rated quarterback prospect ever signed by the Alabama coach.
After spending a year learning the ropes behind Jones. Young was clearly ready to take over.
He made the short throws. He made the long throws. He threw it away when necessary. He used his legs to avoid getting caught very often behind the line.
“When you have that many guys who have not played that much, with a new quarterback and all that, you're never quite sure how they will respond in competitive situations,” Saban said. “I thought we did a great job in the game. I was very encouraged.”
King was 23 of 30 but produced only 173 yards passing, spending much of his time trying to escape the fearsome Alabama rush. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
