Kalen DeBoer has four games of experience on the road as a first-year head coach for Alabama football.
He had two good moments and two rough moments, but it is experience that will help him for Saturday’s intriguing atmosphere at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. Oklahoma’s first year in the Southeastern Conference started promising at 4-1, yet it has lost four of its last five matchups. Brent Venables’ team is 5-5 and desperately needs a victory to become bowl-eligible. It has the Crimson Tide this week and a tough matchup next week at Tiger Stadium versus LSU.
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DeBoer handled Wisconsin and LSU on the road; however, Alabama fell to Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
In its matchup with the Tigers, DeBoer witnessed the Tide have its most complete game.
Jalen Milroe posted 185 yards rushing with four touchdowns, while the defense held an explosive LSU offense to six points for much of the game. The Tigers got a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the contest, but Alabama shut it down for the most part.
People want to know if the team that faced LSU is the Tide team we will see moving forward.
DeBoer stated to Alabama fans in his weekly radio show the team wants to prove it road mentality is for real.
“You can really see the focus continuing to be on the right things, the things that matter.”
– Coach @KalenDeBoer‘s Final Word before Alabama-Oklahoma game#RollTide | @AlabamaFTBL | @MercedesBenz pic.twitter.com/9Mi7E6zvaH
— Crimson Tide Sports Network (@UA_CTSN) November 21, 2024
“We have to make it happen, though,” DeBoer said Wednesday on Alabama showing that its dominance over LSU on the road was not a fluke. “It does not happen on its own. That starts with the work we put in all week long. You can really see the focus continuing to be on the right things, the things that matter. That is what has led to our success in the last few weeks.”
Tim Keenan III, a junior defensive lineman, joined DeBoer on his show. He has been a leader up front with 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry through 10 games for Alabama. Keenan, a Birmingham (Ala.) native, is excited for football weather as the temperature in Norman is expected to 55 degrees or lower by kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT.
“Coach says this is football weather,” Keenan said to Chris Stewart of Crimson Tide Sports Network.
DeBoer, 50, is from South Dakota so playing in colder temperatures in his wheelhouse.
He should have Alabama ready to battle the Sooners and the weather via ABC this weekend.
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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.
