Everything Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama's 27-24 win at Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. — No. 8-ranked Alabama defeated No. 14 Missouri, 27-24, on Saturday at Faurot Field. After the road win, second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke to reporters.

Here is everything DeBoer said after the Crimson Tide’s Week 7 conference victory.

DeBoer’s opening statement…

“Great road win for us against a really good football team. A lot of respect for Coach Drinkwitz and what these guys are doing here at Missouri. But we did the job, we got the job done. Proud of just the fight. We give up a touchdown early, we answer the call. And then just each side of the ball, covering for each other.

“We fumbled right away in the second half, and short field. I know they scored a touchdown there, but defense came back out their next couple drives and just continue to play ball. And even though we made some plays in critical moments at the end, we also could have done a better job, I think, of really putting the game away at other times throughout the game. It might not even be in the fourth quarter, it might have been in the third quarter. 

“So again, that’s football. We found a way to win. We got the takeaways. A lot of crazy moments between balls on the ground that we maybe didn’t get a hold of and things like that. And a lot of looks from the officials on the calls and the spots and things like that.”

DeBoer on injured players… 

“I’ll just give you guys the update on (Jam) Miller, concussion, and Derek (Meadows) got a concussion, as well.”

DeBoer on Dijon Lee…

“Dijon’s in the rotation. He’s a playmaker. He’s hard to throw around. He tackles well. And so, just we trust him. And he came in last spring, and you could see he was gonna be in the rotation more than likely, and just has continued to get better and better. And this isn’t the first game. We have obviously felt good with him out there all season long.”

DeBoer on Alabama’s run defense after the first drive…

“Some of it’s just doing your job. I mean, the quarterback keeping around the edge and the contain, eyes gotta be in the right spot. Everyone’s just gotta do their job. We emphasize finishing and getting to him, and (Hardy)’s a tough back, they both are. And quarterback did a nice job with his legs. Knew that would be a concern. But all in all, I’m proud of the way we kept fighting, got off the field, and throughout the whole game. Obviously, they went down the field, throwing the ball more than anything at the end, but rush defense, I think we took another step in the right direction.”

DeBoer on Ryan Williams…

“Just something that carried over from last week’s game. Earlier in the game last week, took a hit. Just hobbled. He didn’t get to practice as much this week. That’s why he was on the report, which makes it a little harder to get him out there. Especially when you have confidence in the other guys to make plays. I haven’t gotten the report, exactly, how he got through. I know he was out there and did help us. I would expect him to continue to make progress. He’s not that far away.”

DeBoer on Ty Simpson’s grit down the stretch…

“He’s got the ability, there’s no question. When he stays within himself, he can make amazing plays. Got to give him a little time, have the guys run the right routes, it’s more about being in the right place at the right time. He’s seeing the defense, it’s us putting our scheme against what he sees and the pictures they’re showing, the coverages they’re giving us. We’ve got all the faith in the world. The first touchdown pass I love the situation and how he drilled it in there. Coach Grubb having confidence, obviously, I’ve got confidence in him too. Fourth down, going for it a couple times, and he delivered. There’s things he can keep getting better at, just staying within himself. That’s really the key with him, just stay within himself and not try to do too much. When he does that, he stacks plays, he stacks first downs. Sooner or later, we’re in the end zone. I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and the sky’s the limit for him.”

DeBoer on flipping the script on time of possession…

“Huge, huge. Just not letting them get in their rhythm, not letting the run game wear you down, open up play action, and just our offense also staying on the football field time after time,” DeBoer said. “It’s just that wears on them, too. And there’s times I know we wanted to put more points on the board ourselves, but it’s part of the game when you play a team like this.”

DeBoer on Simpson’s demeanor on the sideline after facing pressure…

“I think it’s everything. I mean, it’s not just frustrated with pressure, it’s frustration with just everything. There’s just things that could have been cleaner, and it’s not bad, but it’s just like he knows when it’s perfect, and that’s what he wants. He wants it perfect, and he wants to score every possession. So a little frustration isn’t bad. But I think in the end, he does a good job of regrouping himself. Our guys regroup around him, and they feed off of his confidence. And that’s what matters to me, is how we come back out the next drive, and we’re going back to work.”

DeBoer on the fourth-down completion to Lotzeir Brooks…

“Just you’re too far out for a field goal, obviously, and just, I don’t know, I just keep swinging. I just feel like if we keep swinging, and they put me in a spot to put the pressure on me by converting some yards on third down. And when I see the fight and I see us get the ball, and I think, was it Kevin on the check down, and then he knifing through, I can see us battling. I just, there’s a feel you have, and there’s a belief you have. And a lot of it is on the body language and on the execution, and just feel when you got a quarterback with some guys around him that can go make plays, you gotta let him play. You can’t be reckless. And punt in that spot, it can gain you some yards, it can put them back. But also, we’re gonna play to win. We’ve done that quite a bit this season already, and wanna continue to play to win.”

DeBoer on Lotzeir Brooks…

“If you saw this guy practice every day, man, I wish you guys could see him practice. I know you’re gonna tell me, ‘Let us.’ I opened myself up there. This guy is just full speed all the time. When he’s on the football field, he just loves the game. It’s not just when he’s out there running routes. It’s showing up on special teams Week 1. Just what he does, and he can go down there and tackle when we’re on special teams. Just getting the ball in his hands, and we’ve got to keep finding ways to do it. He’s continuing to gradually gain more and more of the offense without even having to put those reps in and get him in there because he’s running a lot to make sure the timing is good. A lot of these players you’re running with older guys, you get a younger guy in there you need to make sure you feel really good about it. He’s got a knack for the ball. He’s got instincts. He’s elusive. He can break tackles. Just got to keep putting him out there and let him go do his thing.”

DeBoer on the fourth-down play call, his message to Brooks…

“The ball isn’t necessarily gonna go to (Brooks). Ty’s gotta go through, depending on the coverage, and there’s other options. And so, we feel good about all of those guys, and the ball ended up in his hands. And when Ty got out in space and got a little extra time, I think that really helped. Great ball on his part and in a big moment.

“And just talking with Lottie afterwards, I’m just telling him I’m proud of him for pretty much what I just told you. How hard he works, just the plays he makes. A year ago, we were not making the plays in the critical moments to win games, and that was a big play to go win a football game. And he did it, and our team needed him, and he came through.”

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