The Extra Point: Looking Back on Alabama's 2023 Game Against USF

On Sept. 7, Alabama will take on USF in the second game of the 2024 season at Bryant-Denny Stadium. On the surface, the game may seem somewhat unremarkable, with little to distinguish it from other early-season nonconference bouts with mid-major opponents.

However, the 6:00 p.m. CT kickoff will draw back the curtain on a rematch of one of the Crimson Tide's ugliest games of the Nick Saban era: a weather-marred contest at Raymond James Stadium which resulted in a narrow 17-3 Alabama win, one week after the team had suffered a double-digit home loss to Texas. This time, it will be Kalen DeBoer at the helm for the Crimson Tide.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe did not play in the game, which was started by Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner (who's no longer with the program, having returned to Notre Dame). Ty Simpson, who recorded a rushing touchdown during Alabama's 63-0 win over Western Kentucky in the season opener, finished the game in his stead. Though the Bulls were defeated and gave no indications of being placated by any perceived moral victories, former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh's squad finished last season with a winning record and a 45-0 bowl rout over Power Four opponent Syracuse.

This season, Milroe will play in the contest, which was a road game last season (the only true road contest against a non-power conference team in Saban's tenure). USF returns playmaking quarterback Byrum Brown, one of the best at his position outside the Power Four, among others. Things almost couldn't be more different for Alabama since Sept. 16, 2023, when the first meeting of a scheduled three-game series took place. The last game between the two sides as part of the current agreement will be held in Tuscaloosa in September of 2026.