Alabama's secondary was widely viewed as one of the deepest groups in the country coming into the season, but the Crimson Tide's secondary struggled in the 31-17 loss to Florida State to open the season.

 

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If you simply look at the box score, only giving up 152 passing yards looks good on paper, until you realize it came on just nine completions for the Seminoles and starting quarterback Tommy Castellanos.

 

The Tide's secondary returned to form against ULM, allowing just 55 passing yards on 10 completions by the Warhawks. What changed for Alabama's secondary between week one and week two?

 

"Really, I would say it started in practice and getting from point A to point B," Cornerback Zabien Brown said during Tuesday's media availability. "Just little things like that off the field that show up on the field.

 

"We all we got and we all we need," Brown said. We're just really sticking together and pushing each other. That's where it all comes from - internal factors ... We just focus on what we've got going on internally and block out the noise. We know what's expected of us, how we've got to execute, and just focusing on what's next."

 

The noise was loud around an Alabama team that started 0-1 for the first time since 2001, over two decades ago. Florida State was also Alabama's fifth loss in the last 10 games, and DeBoer's fourth loss against an unranked team since becoming Alabama's head coach. Safe to say, there was a lot of noise to block out during the week.

 

Safety Bray Hubbard didn't have his best performance either against Florida State, with clips going viral of a few plays he wasn't involved in, but was on the field for. Brown mentioned that the entire secondary is "brothers." "And we all bring each other up," Brown said.

 

"Bray is a very experienced guy," Brown said. "Everybody has a super-high amount of respect for him and his words; they weigh on our shoulders. Bray is a dog. I see it every day and every week. So, that's just who he is. He plays hard, and I'm glad to play with him. I'm glad to call him my teammate."

 

Alabama may feel better about itself after a 73-0 thrashing of ULM, but that was just one test. The Crimson Tide has another 10 left on the schedule, starting this Saturday against Wisconsin. What is the message heading into Saturday's 11:00 a.m. kick-off?

 

"Just focus on details, doing our job, and just playing the next play," Brown said.

 

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.

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