His first hostile road trip as a first-year head coach for Alabama was at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Kalen DeBoer experienced the passionate atmosphere of a Southeastern Conference fanbase. Tennessee and its fans wanted that matchup so much that was impossible for the Crimson Tide to hear on the field. Alabama had 15 penalties for a loss of 115 yards and turned the ball over twice in its 17-24 loss to the Volunteers. A highly disappointed DeBoer spoke to the media after the game.
Tennessee was crazy, yet Alabama is about to travel to arguably the most chaotic environment in college football. Tiger Stadium, better known as “Death Valley,” is no laughing matter. The fans shake the opposing team’s bus, Mike the Tiger will literally scare you inside his cage, and playing there at night is just different. Alabama is in a must win situation for its College Football Playoff lives, but the team wants to show everyone that DeBoer was the right hire. Parker Brailsford, a transfer from Washington, is one of the new guys on the Tide’s roster at center. He has been told how crazy LSU is, but he feels that Alabama is better prepared.
“We had a plan, but we did not execute as well as we could have,” Brailsford said about Alabama’s matchup versus Tennessee.
“We are now making sure everyone knows what is going on. We are making sure everyone is locked in with the cadence.”
Alabama has been working on silent count, being able to communication through crowd noise, and other small details to ensure the atmosphere does not rattle the team. Crowd noise at Tennessee created several pre-snap penalties for the Tide.
ESPN personality says Alabama fans are “growing impatient” with Kalen DeBoer
Brailsford and Alabama feel that the experience at Neyland Stadium has it ready to be better for Tiger Stadium.
Alabama faces LSU next week in a must win game for the College Football Playoff.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
