Kalen DeBoer evaluates how Alabama K Conor Talty performed vs. Vanderbilt

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Alabama’s kicking woes showed up in early in the Crimson Tide’s 30-14 victory over Vanderbilt as kicker Conor Talty missed a 47-yard field goal.

Kalen DeBoer said Talty’s miss on his first attempt against Vanderbilt was disappointing, but he credited Talty for getting over it and finishing the game strong by making his next three field goals.

“Disappointed in that first kick,” DeBoer said. “You think about putting yourself in his shoes and you missed that first one, and I think the next one was a tie game and a pretty important kick when he had to go back out there. And for him to respond, eliminating any thought that might be in your head and move forward, and then, make another one and make the three that were important in the score, being what it was, even the one with the angle. You can overthink that too and at the end of the game to make it a nine-point game. That’s an important kick at an important time. And it’s not just him too. It’s everyone else working in unison with the snap and the hold. Just thought he responded well. There’s nothing you can do about it when you do miss that one. Yeah, we want those points, but I thought his responses were really good.”

Talty has missed a kick in three of Alabama’s five games this year. He has made seven field goals and is currently 70 percent on the year. The longest field goal he has made was from 46 yards away against UL Monroe.

On a positive note, Talty is perfect on extra points this year, making all 19 of his attempts.

Ultimately, Talty came through when the game was tied and helped Alabama build upon its lead despite getting stopped a couple of times in enemy territory, but he will need to be more efficiently, especially in the stretch of games where Alabama faces four ranked teams in six weeks.

As Alabama faces Missouri this weekend, Talty will look to prevent his streak of missed kicks each week from increasing to three-straight games.