Kalen DeBoer breaks down Play of the Game from Alabama’s Week 1 win over ECU
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Alabama produced plenty of highlight-reel plays on its way to opening the 2026 season with a commanding 48-10 home win over East Carolina on Saturday.
Following the contest, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer met with the athletic department to do a weekly recap of the ‘Play of the Game’ from Alabama‘s victory.
Per DeBoer’s choice, the play in focus this week was Keelon Russell’s explosive completion to Ryan Coleman-Williams, a play that allowed the Tide to eventually push its lead to 24-7 in the second quarter.
“Early in the game, it’s still 17-17, and we have a third down-and-long, which you don’t want to be in,” DeBoer said. “They’re bringing six and dropping five, so there’s gonna be some windows if we pick up the pressure.”
As he broke down the play, DeBoer applauded his offensive line and tailbacks for their coordinated blocking before calling attention to Russell’s accurate throw on the run.
“What I like about this is that all our guys are on the same page…allowing Keelon to step up and draw a defender due to how he’d been running in the game,” DeBoer said of the front’s protection. “It clears up our dig here to Ryan [Coleman-Williams], and he does what he does best with making people miss.”
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Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
