The look on Manny Diaz’s face in the first quarter said it all.

The Miami head coach and any fan watching could tell that Alabama far outmatched Miami in a 44-13 win. Diaz looked tense early in the game. The Crimson Tide looked relaxed — and for good reason. Alabama had a 27-0 lead before Miami could even manage a field goal at the end of the first half.

Diaz had surely hoped that Bama would regress after losing 3 first-round NFL Draft picks: quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris and receiver DeVonta Smith, who won The Heisman Trophy last year. The names have changed, but Bama’s dominance has not.

In his first career start, quarterback Bryce Young looked like he was just beginning to showcase his various skills. The sophomore wasn’t perfect, but he was close, especially considering what all Diaz threw at him. Miami’s plan was to try to confuse Young. There were multiple defensive formations, coverages and alignments that could have challenged a long-time starter, much less a quarterback in his first start.

Diaz has been a defensive coordinator since 2006. He knows defense better than most. However, his calling card didn’t do much with Young, who refused to take risks with the football. Young completed 27-of-48 passes for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns. That stat line didn’t tell the complete story.

As expected, Young was more elusive than Jones. However, it would be a huge mistake to simply say that Young is a running quarterback. He’s not. Young can run but doesn’t do so often. He simply chooses not to. Instead of running around, Young showcased something far better than the ability to rack up rushing yards as a quarterback. Young’s pocket presence was one of his most outstanding abilities on display. His only mistake came when he fumbled during a sack in the third quarter. That could have easily been a mistake on the offensive line. Nevertheless, one mistake did not overshadow Young’s performance.

There were all kinds of reasons for Young to struggle against Miami. It would have been understandable if he had nervous jitters. The only evidence of that was an underthrown pass on Alabama’s first drive that would likely have resulted in a long touchdown. That, however, is nitpicking. Jitters were the furthest thing that came to mind while watching Young’s performance. Neither was the fact that Young is just one part of an offensive rebuild. The Crimson Tide looked like a well-oiled machine in their first game — mostly.

As for the running back position, Brian Robinson was tasked with replacing Harris. Unlike Young, it did seem that Robinson may have been a little too fired up. When he’s at his best, Robinson is a battering ram who will test the will of most defenders.

Robinson rushed for 60 yards on 12 carries, but Bama is hardly a one-man show.

Trey Sanders and Jase McClellan are certainly capable running backs. The sophomores were on display in the second half. Sanders had 41 yards on 8 carries. McClellan carried the ball 9 times for 36 yards. It seems that Alabama’s tradition of having a slew of standout running backs will continue this season. If you’re nitpicking, Alabama ran 38 times for 147 yards — 3.9 yards per clip. That’s not the Bama standard. Last year, Bama averaged 5.0 yards per carry.

Then there’s the whole notion of replacing a Heisman Trophy winner. Smith was the first non-quarterback to win the award since Tide RB Derrick Henry won in 2015 and the first receiver since 1991. There was bound to be a drop-off given the historic season that Smith posted in 2020, right? Well, not really.

Transfer Jameson Williams caught 4 passes for 126 yards. That included a 94-yard TD in which he outran Miami’s secondary. John Metchie III filled in quite nicely for Smith, especially in the first half. Metchie III caught 5 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. If that wasn’t enough to make up for the loss of Smith’s production, Alabama also showcased another young star. Sophomore Cameron Latu had 2 receptions for 34 yards. Both were touchdowns.

It’s not all on Metchie, Williams or Latu to fill in for Smith. That job could be a team effort. Alabama had eight players catch a pass in just the first half, which is just more proof that Young knows how to handle his progressions. Two more players caught passes in the second half as Bama substituted with the game out of hand.

Those who follow Alabama closely know that the Crimson Tide had future stars on their team and not just on NFL rosters. That was clear for anyone that might have been uninformed before the Alabama-Miami game on Saturday. I doubt that most of the college football world enjoyed getting to know the new outstanding Alabama players that could well dominate the sport once again.

It’s very doubtful that Alabama’s offense will reach the heights that the 2020 version did. That was historic. However, Alabama is still explosive on offense — and still looks like the best team in the nation.