Everything Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama's 29-22 win at South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 4 Alabama defeated South Carolina, 29-22, on Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium. After the road victory, head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke to reporters.

Here is everything DeBoer said after the Crimson Tide’s seventh straight win of the season.

DeBoer’s opening statement…

“I think just the story of the game is resiliency. Doesn’t matter how you win. It ain’t gonna be pretty all the time. Especially when you go on the road in the SEC. Coach Beamer, a well-coached team. I knew they were going to fight. Tough environment here. Just proud of the way the guys hung in there for four quarters.

“Again, wasn’t pretty. A lot of stuff that were missed opportunities or breaks that didn’t go our way. The ball – we always got to make sure we’re doing a good job with the punt that bounced off us and gave them good field position. But the defense did a nice job holding them to field goals early. And had their backs to the wall a few different possessions with a shorter field. But came through in the end, got that turnover. Guys finding a way to get in the end zone. Just, again, I don’t know if it’s something we could have done, maybe right at the beginning of the season as far as finding a way to win this thing. But our guys got fight. They certainly believe that sooner or later, they’re going to make a play – either themselves or the other side of the ball.

“Again, great win for us. Much-needed bye. It’s been an intense five weeks, but I think it even goes back before that when we had our backs to the wall, even during the bye week and Wisconsin and even just the mindset that we had to continue to have going into Monroe. Proud of the guys, and we’ll take the momentum. We’ll have some great practices, I know that. Looking forward to the next one in two weeks.”

DeBoer on the two-point play call to tie it…

“I can’t tell you what it’s called (laughs). I mean, it’s just one of those plays we practice all the time. We’ve had it – again, it’s one of those we’ve had it in for years. We’ve run it a time or two here or there in the last five, six years. Just guys practice it. You practice it every Thursday, every Friday you’re talking through it for those moments. You just offset quarterback, running back. Ended up Ty getting it in his hands, and then really there’s run-pass option with different guys you can find. Guys did a great job executing.”

DeBoer on the difference in this game to find a way to win late…

“I just think the investment of time that we’ve put in talking about the big plays and a mindset that you just got to keep swinging, you got to line up defensively and play another play. Forget about the last one – they scored on the possession before. It was a shorter field. Going back out there and the next play is a whole different set of circumstances. The critical moments, practicing the two-minute drills. Practicing the third down plays, and the fourth down ones. They aren’t always going to work. But you play with confidence, and when you play with confidence, you give yourself a chance.”

DeBoer on the poise of Ty Simpson on the game-winning drive…

“That was impressive, I think all-around, from the guys – the coaches, the coaching staff just really being patient, and taking it one play at a time. Knowing that when you got to get the two-point conversion, but just trusting and believing that our guys would execute. They did. Just stack plays. Everyone did their job. We didn’t have any penalties that really hurt us. We didn’t have those negative plays that hurt us. Just everyone locking in, doing your job and trusting your buddies.”

DeBoer on if noticed South Carolina students ready to storm the field…

“I didn’t notice.”

DeBoer on Deontae Lawson’s forced fumble…

“Man, I’m so proud of that guy. He’s getting better, too. I don’t know the number of months out from last year, but he’s getting better. In practice, you can see it. There’s just things he’s working so hard to get his body right. It’s awesome to see him come through. Just the leadership piece – it’s so important to have him out there. I thought from a leadership standpoint, (Tim Keenan) raised his game. Not just on the field, but off the field. Those guys are the ones that understand what this fight is all about. We’ve got a lot of new faces still – 30-something guys that were new this year. 35 probably that came in last year. There’s a lot of roster turnover. Understanding the circumstances and what you’re coming into, you really got to rely on those guys that have been through it. Those are two workhorses that I’m super proud of. Glad we got this moment for them.”

DeBoer on what Alabama has learned from its previous unranked losses…

“I think the experiences we’ve had since then where we have come through and found a way. Understand that getting points at the end of the first half, and we didn’t separate ourselves – I know we fell behind – but knowing that we’ve scored a lot of points over the course of the year. All you need is one touchdown drive. Again, that’s easier said than done against a really good defense. But it’s the resiliency piece. Leave it all on the football field and have no regrets. That’s how I want our guys living and how I want our guys playing.”

DeBoer on the trust in Germie Bernard…

“We got all the trust in the world. You’ve seen us every week have different things that we do where he’s lined up in a Wildcat and get him out of the backfield, throw him the ball, double pass opportunities. Guys who are disciplined, guys who – the game slows down for them. You give them the opportunities as much as possible in critical moments to go make plays for you.”

DeBoer on the depth of Alabama’s trick play catalog…

“It keeps building because our staff is crazy sometimes. They just every week are adding to it. What I like to see is I like to see us work on plays, and a lot of times they don’t get called that week. Which you start banking reps of each concept or each play. As you become more and more comfortable, the right opportunity pops up that’s on the call sheet. You let it fly. I want our guys not flinching when those type of things come up. Let’s just go do what we do. Again, you put it in the guys’ hands that you trust and put the pressure on the other team by doing that.”

DeBoer on how he’d assess Alabama in critical moments…

“You’re not going to convert every fourth down, and I know that one that we just didn’t get just missed the throw to Ryan ended up really costing us because they came back with a shorter field and hit the touchdown. But I tell our defense that the confidence I have in them shows up when I do go for it. Yeah, I have confidence in our offense to get the first down but I have confidence that our defense won’t melt mentally or physically to go out there and do their job. It’s team football, and again, those critical moments – we probably are crazy aggressive in practice, in fall camp, in spring ball, just for when those fourth-down plays come, yeah, you understand there’s a little more at stake but you’re not just collapsing under the pressure and let’s go out there and again, put the pressure on them.”

DeBoer on the back-to-back weeks with pick-sixes; his message to the defense…

“every week is gonna be different match-ups, right? We knew there was things that we could do defensively in attacking things they’d be vulnerable with, but also opportunities with (LaNorris) Sellers and the ball in his hands. We saw what (Nyck) Harbor can do getting down the field; you’re not gonna keep up with him more times than not. We understand there was match-ups defensively and also match-ups within the defensive side. And then offensively, we knew that (Dylan) Stewart was going to be really tough along with the rest of the pass rush. Again, you just challenge the defense. I think we’re to the point now where the relationships are so tight that we’re in this together. We’re in the fight together, but there’s also times where you just got to ask more out of them. They realize the occasion and they want it. So they’re going to give you everything they got.”

DeBoer on why it’s important to win ugly games…

“It’s not good when you’re in the moment but it’s certainly a good feeling right now because you’re going to take the experiences and how you did it, and that’s gonna add to the belief you have. You just got to be mindful that it just didn’t happen on its own, you gotta go make it happen. You had to strain. You had to get your cleats in the dirt and really lock in. Again, everyone’s gotta do their job. These moments stack on top of themselves and more times than not, they’ve been positive. That’s what we got to ride. I’m excited what it’s going to look like practicing because there’s, again, probably as much juice as I’ve seen in the locker room right now within the course of the last five weeks. We kicked off the road game with Georgia – that was a big one against an SEC (team) – and I think we’ve understood what this sequence of games was gonna be like, and just knew that, like I said earlier in the week, we’re in the stretch. We’re not through the stretch. We’re right in it. Again, we’ll be back in it real soon. But again, happy we got a little bye week to get guys rested and be back.”

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