16 September 2023 , 21:16
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Alabama's trip to the University of South Florida is not going to plan for many reasons, with ESPN forced to sacrifice its coverage due to safety concerns.
Despite entering the game as massive 34-point favourites, the Crimson Tide made a sluggish start and trailed 3-0 early in the second quarter. It doesn't help that Nick Saban's squad is also having to deal with extreme weather in Tampa Bay, Florida.
With a storm rolling in, ESPN was forced to call its camera crews down from their elevated positions, using static cameras briefly until a lightning strike nearby led to the players being ordered off the field to find shelter.
The announcing crew of Bob Wischusen and former NFL star Robert Griffin III informed viewers of the situation as the deluge hit Raymond James Stadium and lightning hit the ground within a one-mile radius. The game eventually resumed at 5.30pm local time, but the camera crews were not immediately cleared to return to their posts.
Coming off a chastening defeat to Texas in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a week ago, No. 10 Alabama appeared to be going into a get-right game against the USF Bulls. But the Bama offense has been unable to move the ball efficiently with QB Tyler Buchner – who has started the game over the benched Jalen Milroe – throwing for just 25 yards on 10 attempts.
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John Cannon's 44-yard field goal for USF was the only score through 17 minutes of action, and ESPN analyst Booger McFarland delivered a brutal verdict of Alabama's performance so far.
"Buchner is in there and he doesn't look comfortable," the two-time Super Bowl winner said. "The inaccuracies on the simple plays, the lay-ups, the ability to hit the running back in the flat. They don't have a guy that can just do the simple things right now.
"They need to run the football. They have a huge offensive line. They need to play around the quarterback and right now it's not working."
Buchner, in fairness, is not the only player to struggle, with highly rated defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry muffing a punt that gifted field position to the Bulls. The 20-year-old also dropped a would-be interception.
Ultimately, the delay could work in Bama's favour, with Saban surely taking the chance to deliver some choice words after a terrible start to the game against an opponent vastly inferior on paper.