The defenses were so prepared and so fast that Alabama got 4.48 yards per play, which would have ranked 125th among 128 top-tier college teams last season, while Florida State got 4.16, which would have edged out Rutgers for 127th.

With 5:44 left and the outcome sealed Saturday night, Francois went down again, tripped up from behind by one of Alabama’s chasing horrors (free safety Ronnie Harrison), and did not get up without assistance.

It faces a fresh week of scrutiny about what might be wrong with it, and luckily, for this task, it has a fan base loaded with seasoned football analysts willing to share that analysis with others.

Some of those people might even note that quarterback Jalen Hurts, while thriving for so long as a freshman last season, closed out with a three-game sigh of 31-for-65 passing, for 326 yards, and two touchdowns.

With the score still 10-7 in a thick tussle with Florida State, it can send a running back into nothing but air toward your punter, off what Saban called “a good scheme based on their protection and how they protect.”