Alabama football receiver Germie Bernard posted the tone-setting photo before kickoff.
Bernard was in front as the one taking the selfie inside the Crimson Tide locker room. Then he posted it to his Instagram story. Five receivers stood behind him, but no one was more noticeable than freshman Ryan Williams.
He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t posing. To put it mildly, Williams looked ready to run somebody over.
“Before the game, I was just like, ‘this will be me today,’“ Williams said.
It was. Almost instantly.
Williams’ efforts put the game virtually out of Mercer’s reach immediately. He scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, which Alabama turned into a 52-7 victory over the Bears on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Williams scored his first touchdown on a 29-yard run, giving Alabama (8-2, 4-2 SEC) a quick 7-0 lead not even five minutes into the game. The second score occurred on a 14-yard reception by Williams that put the Crimson Tide up 14-0 with 4:08 left in the first quarter.
Mercer never had a chance from there.
