Alabama successfully mixed a slew of newcomers with some proven veterans during Saturday’s 42-3 pounding of Duke in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Crimson Tide unveiled 10 first-time starters against the Blue Devils, including four members of the 2019 signing class – defensive lineman DJ Dale, inside linebackers Christian Harris and Shane Lee, and kicker/punter Will Reichard. Harris and Lee became starters as a result of preseason knee injuries to Joshua McMillon and Dylan Moses, placing them immediately under the microscope.
Harris and Lee responded by helping the Tide hold a David Cutcliffe offense to 204 yards.
“I think they did a good job,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Saturday night in a news conference. “There were a couple of things we made some errors on, but for a first game for both of these guys and with both being freshmen, I thought they made a lot of good plays. We had some things thrown at us early in the game that were totally different, but they did a good job of adapting to the run reads and a good job in coverage for the most part.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of things they can grow and learn from with this experience.”