TAMPA, Fla. (WIAT) — It was a lackluster performance for the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday, but, they were able to walk out of Raymond James Stadium with a 17-3 victory.

It was a brutal first half offensively for the Crimson Tide, as they started Tyler Buchner who finished 5-of-14 for 34 yards before being pulled in the second quarter for Ty Simpson. The Alabama run game struggled at times but came through when needed the most late. Roydell Williams led the way with 17 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown.

The defense kept Alabama in the game though as they forced two huge turnovers and sacked the quarterback five times.

Alabama has serious concerns at quarterback

  • Buchner got the start over Jalen Milroe and seemed to never be comfortable from the opening kick off. Every possession Buchner was on the field, resulted in an Alabama punt. Simpson came in the game after Dallas Turner forced a fumble which James Smith recovered. The turnover helped lead to Bama’ first points of the game on a 30-yard field goal by Will Reichard. Simpson led two touchdown drives, but seemed very indecisive at times.

Alabama defense saves the day

  • The Bama defense held the Bulls to just 87 passing yards throughout the game. They also shut down the Bulls on fourth down as they went two-for-six on fourth down attempts. With the offense struggling the majority of the game, it’s the Alabama defense who deserves the game ball. They were able to force two pivotal turnovers, including an interception late by Malachi Moore, which helped seal the win.

Offensive line continues to struggle for Bama

  • This has become a legitimate concern for the Tide considering all the hype this off season about the offensive line. Last week, Texas was able to sack Jalen Milroe five times and those struggles continued as Simpson was sacked five times. They started to gain traction late when they were able to drain over five of the last six minutes and cap it off with a Simpson quarterback sneak touchdown to seal the victory.

Up next

  • Alabama will play Ole Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.