Nobody fears Saban-less Alabama

"They don't have Nick Saban to save them."

Oh, did we laugh when Tommy Castellanos dropped that quote about Alabama in June. A Boston College transfer on a Florida State team that went 2-10 last year seemed far down the list of candidates in position to poke the bear.

However, by 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Tallahassee, the joke was on Alabama. Castellanos and the Seminoles had just served the latest reminder that Saint Nick is long gone and ain't nobody scared of Kalen DeBoer's Crimson Tide.

The 31-17 blowout - a result that somehow still flattered the visitors - was Alabama's first season-opening loss since 2001. Show some sympathy if you know one of the 30,000-plus undergrads on the Tuscaloosa campus. An 0-1 start hasn't happened in their lifetime.

Saturday's setback was DeBoer's third loss in four games dating back to last season. Zoom out further and it's his fifth in 14 games since taking over for Saban - with four coming to unranked teams. That's the same number of unranked losses Saban had in his entire Alabama tenure.

Look, the defeats certainly cause anger, but the manner in which they're unfolding is what's enraging the passionate fan base.

Saban once famously cautioned his team about lacking focus in advance of a 2015 game against FCS Charleston Southern, recalling a 2011 contest in which Alabama allowed Georgia Southern to rack up 302 rushing yards, albeit in a 45-21 victory.

"They ran through our ass like shit through a tin horn, and we could not stop them," a fiery Saban proclaimed.

The tin horn seems to have taken up residence under DeBoer. The once-stout Crimson Tide defense is allowing an average of more than 200 rushing yards per game over the last three losses - the Seminoles' 233-yard performance being the latest.

Castellanos' 152 passing yards Saturday were the most by an opposing quarterback in those losses, with Oklahoma and Michigan not topping the 100-yard mark.

Overcoming Alabama used to require a Johnny Manziel freak show. In this era, you simply need to avoid turnovers and run the dang ball.

So, the defense isn't exactly on fire, but DeBoer made his mark as an offensive genius. Surely that side of the ball is thriving, right?

That might be the most puzzling part of the whole debacle: Since taking the field at Oklahoma in November, Alabama has averaged just 15 points per game.

Gone are the days of Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Bryce Young airing it out to an assortment of future NFL wideouts. Scoreboard operators used to call for backup when Alabama came to town. Now, they're planning bathroom breaks around when the Tide have the football.

Two running backs have won the Heisman Trophy in the last 20 years. Both played at Alabama under Saban. These days, you could total the yards of every back on the roster and still fail to get an invite to New York. The Crimson Tide have averaged 75 rushing yards over the last three losses and have failed to register a 100-yard rusher in any loss under DeBoer.

The recipe to stop Alabama's offense seems simple: Limit the run game and you'll be rewarded with an epic field storm when the clock hits zero.

The fascinating part begins now. DeBoer has a buyout north of $60 million, and there's no Texas A&M oil money flowing in the state of Alabama. He's going to have some runway to fix things and get the Tide pointed back in the right direction. After all, this is a loaded roster filled with high-end recruits who beat mighty Georgia last year.

Whether DeBoer can do it or not is arguably the biggest storyline in college football. He's been a smashing success at every prior coaching stop, but the pressure cooker in Tuscaloosa is a different beast than Washington or Fresno State. It's safe to assume nobody in Seattle was calling into radio programs questioning DeBoer's sideline attire with the Huskies.

Under Saban, the fear factor of Alabama gave the team a de facto 14-0 lead just walking off the bus. That's how the legendary coach once piled up 100 straight wins over unranked opponents.

Now, Goliath has fallen, the bully's been popped in the mouth, and the pressure is on DeBoer to avoid being the latest example of never wanting to be the guy to replace The Guy.