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Kalen DeBoer reacts to botched snap on missed field goal: 'We can get a little better snap but we can make the kick too'

Danby: Daniel Hager6 hours agoDanielHagerOn3
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Nov 8, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer walks the sidelines in his black hoodie during the game with LSU at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

No. 4 Alabama suffered its first home loss of the season Saturday night to No. 11 Oklahoma 23-21. The Crimson Tide had rattled off eight consecutive wins after dropping their season-opener to Florida State, but that streak ended in Tuscaloosa.

The loss came by two-points, which made Alabama‘s missed 36-yard field goal at the end of the first half sting even more. The snap was botched, but kicker Conor Talty missed the kick badly. After the missed kick, Talty was even seen on camera yelling at long snapper David Bird.

Postgame, head coach Kalen DeBoer pointed fingers at both sides on the costly miscue. He suffered his first home loss as Alabama‘s head coach Saturday night.

“It’s a little bit of the same as the last time we missed (a field goal),” DeBoer said. “We can get a little better snap. But we can make the kick too. It’s a little bit of everything on the execution from snap to the kick. So we’ve got to find a way to kick it through when it’s not perfect. We’ve got to find a way to execute better on the whole operation.”

Alabama fell behind 10-0 after the first quarter, but responded with a Daniel Hill one-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter. Both teams traded touchdowns before the half, and a 52-yard field goal nailed by Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell extended its lead to 20-14 early in the third. Hill’s second rushing score of the game gave the Crimson Tide their first lead mid-way through the third, but Sandell’s 24-yard field goal with 13:41 remaining in regulation would be the deciding score.

Oklahoma forced Alabama to just two possessions in the fourth quarter. The first drive was a three-and-out which resulted in a punt, and the second was a 13-play, 42-yard drive that ended with a Ty Simpson incomplete pass on 4th & 6 from the Alabama 48-yard line. Those three points prior to the break would have been vital for the Tide, but that was not the case.

If No. 5 Georgia is able to hold off No. 10 Texas in Athens Saturday night, the Bulldogs would finish their conference slate with a 7-1 record. Alabama now sits at 6-1 against SEC competition, making its Iron Bowl matchup against Auburn a must-win game for the Crimson Tide’s SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff hopes.