The Alabama Crimson Tide utterly dismantled a once-cocky Louisville squad Saturday night, pummeling them 51-14 in a contest that was even more one-sided than the score would indicate.

Even considering their 37-point win and for all the many things they did well, Alabama didn’t play flawlessly.

Here are five things I liked and three things I didn’t like in the Tide’s beatdown of Louisville:

What I liked

1. Tua Tagovailoa was amazing: The quarterback battle is over. Give credit to Jalen Hurts for what he’s accomplished at Alabama, but there’s no way you could watch that game and not come away fully convinced that Tagovailoa is the best QB on the team. He was absolutely terrific, completing 12 of his 16 attempts for 227 yards with 2 TDs and no picks, while also adding another 26 yards and a TD on the ground. He showed good poise in the pocket, excellent touch, timing and accuracy and great velocity on his passes to all three levels. As much as SEC fans don’t want to hear it, he’s improved considerably from the national title game. He’s going to make this offense an absolute juggernaut this year.

2. Deionte Thompson is the new face of the secondary: With the Tide breaking in so many fresh faces in the secondary, we knew someone was going to emerge as the next star of the defensive backfield, we just didn’t know who would shine first. Turns out, it’s Deionte Thompson, who was a constant force all over the field Saturday night. He intercepted one pass in the end zone and nearly had another on the sidelines, and he was harassing Lousiville receivers all night long, showing great instincts and range in coverage. He was also stout against the run, coming up well in run support and providing a flexible chess piece for defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi to use all over the field.

3. Running backs a plenty: Despite the presence of potential All-American and Heisman candidate Damien Harris, Alabama distributed the ball well among a deep stable of backs, with Najee Harris leading the team in carries with just eight. Overall, Alabama rushed 42 times for 222 yards and 3 TDs, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. This is a good thing. The last thing a contender like Alabama needs to do is give their star running back 30-some carries in a blowout win and risk injury. Granted, his numbers won’t help his Heisman Trophy resume, but the success of the offense and team as a whole obviously takes precedence.

4. The wide receiver corps is highly explosive: Alabama’s receivers corps looked very fast against the Louisville secondary, showing the kind of burst and deep speed necessary to consistently take the top off a defense, making them an ideal fit for a strong armed and accurate passer like Tua Tagovailoa. DeVonta Smith (4 receptions, 99 yards), Jerry Jeudy (4 receptions, 64 yards, 2 TDs) and Jaylen Waddle all blistered the Cardinals’ secondary, consistently getting separation for open looks deep.  As a whole, the Alabama pass catchers averaged 17.5-yards per reception. I know Ole Miss and Florida get a lot of attention for their receiving corps, but Alabama’s is quickly putting everyone on notice with their performance against Louisville.

5. Jaylen Waddle is a human joystick: Reports out of camp were that the freshman wide receiver was going to quickly make a name for himself with his explosiveness and, if anything, that was a huge understatement. He was unbelievable returning punts for the Tide against Louisville, averaging 20 yards on his four punt returns, and that’s not including one that he took to the house that was called back. He also looked good on offense, catching 3 passes for 66 yards. His lateral quickness, change of direction skills, burst and explosiveness are simply stunning. There’s no doubt that they’re going to try to start including him in the offense even more moving forward.

What I didn’t like

1. Penalties, penalties, penalties: This was highly uncharacteristic of a Nick Saban-coached team. The Tide committed a whopping 10 penalties against Louisville for a total of 111 yards. Louisville’s first score of the night in the third quarter was the direct result of penalties, when the Tide had stopped them on a third-and-26 before a personal foul gave the Cardinals a first down. That same drive, they stopped Louisville on fourth down before an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Cardinals another shot, which ultimately lead to a touchdown. There was also a beautiful punt return by Jaylen Waddle late in the game that was called back. Similarly to their kicking game, the penalties didn’t ultimately hurt them in this game, but it needs to get cleaned up.

2. Kicking is still a problem area: This was one of the biggest concerns in 2017, where the Tide made just 19 of 28 field goal attempts, including missing many in crucial situations. Against Louisville, the Tide’s Austin Jones missed a 27-yard field goal attempt as well as an extra point. Look, against an overmatched squad like Louisville, missed field goals won’t hurt the Tide, but that won’t always be the case. Not every game will be routs by 37 points, and Alabama will find themselves in one-score games. It needs to find some consistency in its kicking game so it won’t hurt them when it really matters.

3. Picking up the third-down blitz: Early on, Alabama’s offensive line and backfield struggled at times to pick up the various blitz and stunt packages the Cardinals defense was throwing their way, particularly on third downs. They got better as the game went on — communication was undoubtedly one of the culprits — so this likely won’t be a problem that persists. We also must remember this is a reshuffled line with some guys lining up in new places for the first time, so it’s understandable for some communications issues early on.

Overall

This was an absolute beatdown of epic proportions. Even considering the three things I didn’t like, you can’t help but be amazed at the sheer talent on this team and what they’re capable of doing, even when they play a somewhat sloppy game. It could’ve easily been 59-0 or worse if it weren’t for all the penalties.

The secondary was solid overall considering the amount of fresh faces they were breaking in, and they’re only going to get better as they gain more experience. The run defense was fantastic, allowing just 16 yards on 26 carries. They also continue to find ways to score on both defense and special teams.

Simply put, I don’t know if anyone can beat Alabama after watching them Saturday night. The defense was as good as you’d expect, and  the offense looked almost unstoppable with Tagovailoa. They’re going to be enormously difficult for anyone to slow down this season. Louisville has to be glad to get that over with and move on, because it’s all downhill from here.