DeBoer tells why Alabama will benefit from extra time to prepare for Oklahoma rematch

Before Alabama’s rematch with Georgia in the SEC Championship game on Saturday, head coach Kalen DeBoer had a great record in rematches throughout his head-coaching career, even dating back to his time at the University of Sioux Falls.

However, his two-time record of beating the same team twice in a season as a head coach was tainted on Saturday with the Crimson Tide’s 28-7 loss to the Bulldogs, the team that Alabama previously beat, 24-21, in Athens in week five.

It was a 10-week gap between the second game, and it proved to be a challenge for DeBoer and the Tide. He spoke before and after the game, saying each team had the opportunity to develop players and find their true identity.

Then on Sunday, he spoke about how that’s a key factor in what makes the rematch with Oklahoma different.

“I think you have a much better idea,” DeBoer said. “You watch the film, we all get that. So, even with the Georgia rematch, that was something you can kind of see: the growth of their team, what our team has had, as far as growth. But like you said, it’s certainly much tighter, as far as the timeline here. So, you have a better understanding. And again, I’m sure some guys that were dinged up for them, probably, just knowing the schedule and how we all are at that point in the year, I’m sure Oklahoma is looking to get some guys back, including a probably continuously stronger quarterback with [John] Mateer. So, I know that’s the case, the thing that draws a lot of attention on their end. But, we’re looking forward to this rematch.”

What makes it just a little more interesting is what DeBoer said on Thursday before facing Georgia, when asked about his previous experiences facing teams twice and how it would apply to the game with the Bulldogs.

“This one’s a little different because the game happens so much earlier in the season,” DeBoer said. “Most of those that you’re referring to happened late, within a couple of weeks, you were playing again. I think what you see between us and Georgia now, you see two teams that do what you know you need to do. You say it, but you do it. Doing it is the key.”

Georgia proved to be too tough a task for DeBoer and the Tide to overcome for a second time this season, but now with the Sooners, DeBoer will get the circumstances in which he’s more familiar with when it comes to rematches.

However, that’s not to say that if Alabama had faced Georgia more recently, the Tide would have won. Georgia is a good team, and regardless of when the first match was played, it is very likely the same outcome would have ensued.

But when Alabama first faced Oklahoma, the Tide did hurt itself. It had one of its best offensive performances of the season, but it just couldn’t close in the end. And now, there’s a five-week difference in the amount of time between the rematch with Oklahoma compared to the one with Georgia. It will be interesting to see if DeBoer can prove he’s capable of overcoming this challenge.