Kalen DeBoer has become a different head coach in the second half of Alabama’s season than the first one.
He celebrated a lot after his first win in the Southeastern Conference versus Kirby Smart and Georgia, but he did not know how to take the victory and build off it. It led to the Crimson Tide facing adversity in the form of not taking Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Tennessee seriously.
Ryan Williams pushes back against Travis Hunter winning Biletnikoff over him
Alabama loss two of the three matchups and national media starting thinking maybe being Nick Saban’s successor is too much for DeBoer.
He responded correctly to adversity by having a sense of urgency in the last two games against Missouri and LSU, coaching the Tide to dominant wins over both. DeBoer has Alabama in a position to make a push for the College Football Playoff race.
The Tide is ranked No. 10 in the CFP rankings and it has to win out the rest of its regular season schedule to make the playoff. Alabama faces Mercer on Saturday at 1 pm CT on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. How does DeBoer assure the Crimson Tide does not have another letdown?
A breakdown is below.
1. Alabama maintaining “backs against the wall” mindset
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
