In a perfect scenario, the dedication of Saban Field would've come in a game more like Alabama football's Week 1 trouncing of Western Kentucky, with the outcome secured by halftime and smiles beaming from Bryant-Denny Stadium's luxury boxes – where legendary Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban sat on Saturday night – all the way to the sidelines.

But the scenario that unfolded instead, along with Alabama's play in a 42-16 win over South Florida, was anything but perfect. And the Bulls were not at all compliant with the idea of Saban Field being christened by an easy victory.

For the second year in a row, USF gave the Crimson Tide fits; but this time, the underdogs took the fight to Bryant-Denny Stadium, landed a few haymakers and put Alabama on the ropes in the later rounds. The Crimson Tide, to extend the boxing analogy, won on points, and by split decision, thanks largely to Jalen Milroe's 43-yard touchdown pass to freshman Ryan Williams with just 5:50 remaining.

Alabama tacked on two late touchdowns to make it look easier than it was.

HIGHLIGHTS: Alabama football vs South Florida score today: Live updates, highlights from Week 2 game

A sellout crowd of 100,077 left asking all the questions that Western Kentucky simply wasn't good enough to pose.

And new coach Kalen DeBoer, whose team improved to 2-0, must find some quick answers ahead of a Week 3 game at Wisconsin.

At the heart of Alabama's problems was an offensive line that sputtered its way through a pile of penalties and poor blocking. With left tackle Kadyn Proctor unavailable for the second week in a row due to a left shoulder injury, the UA coaching staff juggled the starting line against the Bulls. Guard Tyler Booker moved to left tackle to replace Elijah Pritchett, who started in Week 1, and Geno VanDeMark was inserted into Booker's left guard spot. The move backfired loudly, but that wasn't the only ugly noise the Crimson Tide made.

There were three second-half turnovers − one on the second-half kickoff and another on a fumbled snap inside the USF 5-yard line − that gave the Bulls all the inspiration they needed to drag Alabama into upset waters. The UA defense ultimately played the biggest hand in the victory, and held the USF passing attack to 103 yards, but it struggled to contain the rushing exploits of Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown. There was a targeting penalty on linebacker Justin Jefferson that set up a late USF field goal that closed the gap to 21-16.

Of immediate concern for Alabama in the aftermath of the victory is that it now faces its first road game, and offensive line play is more susceptible to problems with crowd noise than any position on the field. And Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium can be an awfully noisy place. From a game that was too close for too long, DeBoer noted that there were plenty of lessons to be learned, primarily in the areas of penalties and ball security.

Last year, South Florida played visiting Alabama to a 3-3 tie at halftime before falling 17-3. Quarterback Jalen Milroe was on the bench for the game, and it served as a look-in-the-mirror turning point for a Crimson Tide team that went on to win an SEC championship.

Thanks to the plucky Bulls, it's time to look in that mirror again.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football escaped USF again, but can it improve like last year?