TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Heavy underdog Western Kentucky hoped to accomplish something unforgettable for the program at No. 5 Alabama on Saturday night.

On second thought, maybe the Hilltoppers might be best served by wiping the entire experience from their collective memory as the host Crimson Tide trampled them for a season-opening 63-0 win in Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer’s debut as Nick Saban’s replacement leading the program.

The Tops did their part to reassure a sellout crowd of more than 100,000 at Bryant-Denny Stadium that the Tide will indeed roll on under DeBoer – they sure didn’t have any trouble doing it against WKU (0-1) on Saturday.

“Really good football team we played tonight in the University of Alabama. I tell you, they did everything you’re supposed to do,” WKU coach Tyson Helton said. “They’re a big, physical football team. They played well. They were very cohesive with what they did. They got after us pretty good, so hat’s off to them. They’re 1-0. They’ve got a great staff, great team and I expect great things out of them this year. I think they’re going to really challenge a lot of people.”

Two first-quarter interceptions thrown by new WKU starting quarterback TJ Finley jump-started Alabama’s offense, which cashed in on both for touchdowns.

That was bad – it got worse.

A busted coverage in the WKU secondary left Tide freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams all alone on a deep route after the cornerback released him and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe dropped in a deep ball for an 84-yard touchdown pass.

The Tops created a glimmer of hope by when Devonte’ Mathews recovered a Milroe fumble at the Tide 20, but WKU stalled in the red zone, then kicker Lucas Carneiro missed on a 38-yard yard field goal.

Two plays later, Jamarion Miller popped free for a 35-yard touchdown run and Alabama had a four-touchdown lead early in the second quarter.

Alabama struck twice more before that first half was done, as Justice Haynes sprang loose on an 85-yard touchdown run, then Ryan Williams ran through a couple WKU defenders for a 55-yard touchdown reception with 1:30 left in the first half.

Even a switch at quarterback to Caden Veltkamp, who came off the bench and led the Hilltoppers to a near-miraculous comeback from four touchdowns down to beat Old Dominion 38-35 in overtime in the Famous Toastery Bowl last season, could do nothing to spark the Tops in the second half.

“As far as our football team, at times I thought we did some good things,” Helton said. “I thought we moved the ball well, pretty good in the first half. Obviously the turnovers cost us with the interceptions. Defensively, we had way too many explosive plays, as we all know, in the first half. Defense settled down a little bit in the second half and started to find their groove a little bit. Offensively, we just couldn’t get going in the second half. Good football team we played, and, man, I’m looking forward to watching those guys play the rest of the year.”

The Tide kept right on rolling with three more second-half touchdowns while shutting out WKU and giving Helton his more lopsided loss as a head coach. It also marked the first time a Helton-led Hilltopper squad has been shut out dating back to 2019.

Alabama outgained the Hilltoppers 600-145 in total offense. WKU was 3-for-18 on third-down conversions and 0-for-2 in the red zone.

Finley, who had previously started games against Alabama at two of his previous schools – LSU and Auburn – was 18 of 31 passing for 92 yards and two interceptions. Veltkamp took over for the final series of the first half and played the entire second half, but was just 4-for-11 passing for 11 yards.

“Under the circumstances in the first half, I thought TJ did well, I really did,” Helton said. “The two interceptions were unfortunate for sure, but I thought he made some really good plays under a lot of pressure and a lot of duress.”

WKU redshirt sophomore wide receiver Moussa Barry finished with a career-high four catches for 27 yards, while sophomore defensive back Nazir Ward tallied a career-high five tackles to pace the defense. Redshirt defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler came up with an early impact play for the Tops with a sack that caused a fumble.

“Even though we came up short, I feel like we played with good effort the whole game,” Wheeler said. “I’m proud of our defense.”

The Hilltoppers are back in action this coming Saturday against FCS-level Eastern Kentucky, which lost 56-7 at Mississippi State on Saturday. Game time is 6 p.m. at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Easton Messer said the Tops have turn their focus to the home opener.

“Just flush it out – if we do that properly, I have no doubt in my mind that we’ll win,” Messer said. “Go back, have a hard week of practice, realize we might not be everything we thought we were. That should piss us off to go out there and practice hard. Forget about it and go be WKU.”{&end}