​The temperature – 95 degrees. The heat index – 116. The humidity – 71%.It was a hot one with an 11:00 AM kickoff at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, as the Alabama Crimson Tide took on the East Carolina Pirates for a Week 1 battle.It was the Tide that prevailed, winning 48-10 after a solid performance from redshirt freshman Keelon Russell in his first career start. Russell completed 59% of his passes for 249 yards, along with 86 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.There was a lot that happened in this game, so we’re coming in hot with six takeaways from Alabama’s dominating win.The Run GameLet’s get the 5,000-pound elephant out of the room.The run game looked fantastic. And if you’re reading this thinking that “it was only East Carolina,” I’ll point you to the fact that East Carolina was ranked 33rd in rushing yards allowed per game last season.ECU wasn’t expected to be Alabama’s toughest opponent this season, but its performance against the run last year made Saturday’s rushing display worth watching.Daniel Hill looked exactly like the running back we were hoping to see. He rushed nine times for 47 yards and two rushing touchdowns.What I thought was increasingly interesting was Alabama’s trust in true freshman Trae’shawn Brown.We heard the rumblings at camp that Brown was a star in the making, but I don’t think anyone anticipated him being the second running back on the field.There was one instance where Brown almost staked his claim onto the game, where he ran for 60+ yards to the house, until it was called back from a holding call from center Racin Delgatty.We also saw true freshman EJ Crowell get a lot of shine. Crowell was expected to play after suffering a minor injury during camp, but Crowell recorded the first touchdown of the season, and rushed for 37 yards on seven attempts.Progress for Ryan Coleman-WilliamsComing into opening day, there were sky-high expectations for Ryan Coleman-Williams.After a sensational freshman season as a 17-year-old, Coleman-Williams had a greatly disappointing sophomore season.Coleman-Williams came into the season with a new outlook. He added a new name to honor his mother, changed his number from 2 to 1, and removed gloves from his game day attire.To start the game, the ghost of his past appeared to follow him after being wide open and dropping a pass from Russell. However, to rectify that drop, he answered the call, hauling in five passes for a staggering 130 yards, and finished the first half with 104 receiving yards. It was the second time in his career that he finished the first half with over 100 receiving yards.To top it off, he also returned a punt for 23 yards in the first quarter.Taking AccountabilityWhat stood out was the accountability that Russell took for his play.While this was a solid performance, he still looked like a first time starter out there. The talent was there, and his ability to extend plays was a breath of fresh air.But operationally, there was some