It was a victory in name only.

And Alabama will take it, as it should, because wins and winning should never be taken for granted, even at a pigskin paradise like Tuscaloosa.

But on a Saturday afternoon that bled into Saturday evening in Tampa, all the troubling signs could be spotted in the sky. There was a lightning delay, there was the menacing sound of thunder and, most appropriate of all, there was a swath of storm clouds gathering around Raymond James Stadium that signaled trouble had arrived.

Because it has for the Alabama Crimson Tide, at least for now.

Because, right now, Nick Saban has a really stacked roster with a really big problem at quarterback.

Right now, there is a giant, crimson-colored carousel stationed in T-Town. And nobody who cares about Alabama football is having a lick of fun watching it spin around wildly as a season and possibly a dynasty hangs in the balance.

Yeah, it has gotten that serious, even if it didn’t derail the 10th-ranked Tide in a just-get-through-it 17-3 victory over a Group of 5 South Florida program that was the perfect foil on a day Bama used as many quarterbacks as it scored touchdowns.

For the record, there were 2 quarterbacks — the ineffective Tyler Buchner, who started, and the inexperienced Ty Simpson, who finished.

And there were 2 2nd-half touchdown drives that were filled with Roydell Williams runs, where Simpson didn’t feel the immense pressure to carry the Crimson Tide across the finish line in a game they were favored in by more than 30 points but had to sweat out in the stifling Gulf Coast humidity.

There was no Jalen Milroe to be found on Saturday, not on the field at least. The sophomore quarterback who started the season’s first 2 games was relegated to supportive cheerleader just a few weeks after his rock-star Week 1 performance against Middle Tennessee.

So where do the 2-1 Tide go from here?

Well, 1st off, they go back home is where they go, to face a burgeoning Ole Miss program next Saturday in the SEC opener for both teams. More than likely, the guy (or guys) who plays quarterback against the 3-0 Rebels is going to have to be a lot better than Buchner and Simpson were on Saturday.

Right now, as many Tide fans feared before the season, that QB carousel is spinning out of control while Bryce Young learns the ropes with the Carolina Panthers. It was all out there for the college football world to see on Saturday, and a 55-minute lightning delay early in the 2nd quarter couldn’t stop it from unfolding.

The questions going forward are: When will the carousel come to rest? Will it ever over the next few months? And, if it does, who will be the one who finally makes the music stop and tells Tuscaloosa that he’s the quarterback moving forward?

Until that happens, the storm clouds will continue to gather, the questions will continue to mount and Alabama’s old air of dominance will continue to be threatened on a weekly basis.

Player of the Week

The lightning delay was over, Saban had finally made the switch from Buchner to Simpson late in the 2nd quarter and that giant goose egg was still next to Alabama’s name on the scoreboard, as it inexplicably trailed 3-0. The Tide needed a savior, and they got it in the senior Williams, who became the focal point of the offense for the rest of the afternoon. Williams was simply spectacular, carrying the ball 17 times for 129 yards, including a 48-yard run on the game-clinching touchdown drive in the 4th quarter that followed Malachi Moore’s interception.

Williams did the heavy lifting on that 11-play, 80-yard march that ended with Simpson’s 1-yard TD plunge in the final minute. And Williams also took center stage on the Tide’s 1st TD drive in the 3rd quarter, rumbling for 26 yards down to the Bulls’ 6-yard line. Williams finished it off with a 1-yard scoring run, as Bama found the end zone for the 1st time all afternoon with 4:35 left in the 3rd to also take its 1st lead of the afternoon, 10-3. Williams has been waiting for “His Time” for seemingly his whole career, and it finally came on a wet Saturday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as the Tide were toiling in quarterback hell. Williams’ arrival was right on time and just in time to save Bama’s season from spiraling totally out of control.

Freshman of the Week

For the 3rd time in 3 games, we’ll give it to strong safety Caleb Downs, whose numbers (4 tackles, 2 solo) weren’t as eye-popping as the 1st 2 weeks but who continues to back up the hype he received all through the offseason. During an early season with so many question marks (read: quarterback) surrounding the roster and program, who knew that it would be a freshman who’d help calm things down while the Tide searched for answers elsewhere.

Downs has been a godsend so far. And if he’s this good and this steady already in his young career, imagine him in a few years or even a month from now as the Tide are going through the heart of the SEC schedule.

Biggest surprise

How about that the Alabama Crimson Tide, who’ve spent the better part of the past 15 seasons not punting a whole lot, punted it 8 times during a slopfest in the rain in Tampa? Now, when you consider the quarterback issues and the weather that wasn’t exactly conducive to beautiful offense, then maybe you wouldn’t have been shocked if Bama punted it a few more times than usual.

But 8 times? Fortunately, the very busy James Burnip was up to the task, averaging 46.1 yards on his 8 punts, including a 60-yarder. Burnip also put 4 of his punts inside the USF 20-yard line, which was absolutely huge in a low-scoring game where field position was so important.

Biggest concern

Of course, it’s the elephant (not Big Al) in the middle of the stadium, whether it’s Bryant-Denny Stadium or Raymond James Stadium, like on Saturday. It’s the Quarterback Quandary of 2023, and it hit a climax in Week 3 as the Crimson Tide amassed just 107 yards passing with Buchner and Simpson at the controls against a Group of 5 opponent that doesn’t exactly have great expectations for this season. And until the QB saga gets solved, or gets closer to being solved, it’s going to be concern 1, 2 and 3 for Saban’s struggling team.

Developing trend

How about we go positive here and mention the trend of a freshman stepping up in the Tide’s time of need? We already know all about Downs and his first 3 weeks of excellence. How about defensive lineman James Smith? The Montgomery product made what might’ve been the biggest play of the game for Bama, recovering a fumble by USF quarterback Byrum Brown with 4:19 left in the 2nd quarter to set Bama up at the Bulls’ 25-yard line. The turnover led to the Tide’s 1st points of the day on a 30-yard field goal by Will Reichard that tied the game at 3-3, as Simpson took over for Buchner with a short field.

Smith’s fumble recovery helped get the sleepwalking Tide going and at least got them on the scoreboard with halftime approaching.

Key stat

On a day and at a time when the quarterback issues are getting all the attention, how about pointing out that the Bama defense gave up only 264 total yards and helped keep the Tide afloat until they finally started putting up points in the 2nd half. Alabama barely got above 300 total yards itself, but it still outgained USF as Kevin Steele’s stifling defense showed up on a day it absolutely needed to. The Bulls’ only points of the game, on a 1st-quarter field goal, came after a Kool-Aid McKinstry fumble on a punt return that gave USF a short field, so Bama could’ve easily pitched a shutout.

First impression about Week 4

The quarterback difficulties were a killer, but they ultimately didn’t undo the Tide against a weaker USF team. But next Saturday, when old friend Lane Kiffin and 17th-ranked Ole Miss come to T-Town for the SEC opener, bad quarterback play could very well mean a 2nd straight home loss in a stadium where Alabama hardly ever loses. The Rebels are 3-0 after dismantling Georgia Tech on Saturday night, they are surging and they know the Tide are as vulnerable right now as they’ve been in forever.

And you don’t think Kiffin wants to beat his old boss, in his boss’ stadium, in the sexy 3:30 p.m. ET CBS slot? This is Bama’s proverbial fork in the road for the 2023 season — does it beat a ranked team and finally get some traction with 1 of its quarterbacks? Or does the roof cave in?

Better check the weather report for possible storm clouds.