Everything Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama's 38-14 win over Wisconsin

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 19 Alabama defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 38-14, on Saturday at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. After the win, Kalen DeBoer spoke to reporters.

Here is everything DeBoer said after the Crimson Tide’s home opener.

DeBoer’s opening statement…

“I thought we came ready to play. And liked especially what our response was when we got stopped on fourth down. The defense come out and really not hanging their heads, and just the very next play, give or take away. And so a lot of different directions that thing could have gone after getting stopped there. Offense takes over, takes advantage of it, moves the ball down the field. So it was really good to see the response to some adversity there.

“Would love to see us do a much better job in the fourth quarter, just finishing. Got some drops there that our guys don’t make. And so we gotta play better there. And then a couple penalties in the beginning of the third quarter. Just, it’s nonsense. I mean, we gave them a touchdown, really, because the ball that they kicked out of the end zone. I love the energy on the sideline, and I love the excitement. But we gotta run off the field, right? We just gotta take care of those things, because those are things that can kill you in a tight game. 

“One thing I do wanna do, I wanna shout out our fans, because it’s 11 o’clock kick, in the morning, and just getting here earlier and all of that. People traveled to get here. But appreciate the energy that they brought. And then also our student section. Just noticing that our student section was full from start to finish. Our guys feed off of that energy, they really do. And we’re gonna make sure we continue to do our part to give them something to cheer about. So do appreciate them there. 

“Zero turnovers again, doing a good job. High priority of ball security, take care of the football. And a couple more takeaways. So just again, guys, we got more pressure on the quarterback with the sacks. And so just, I thought it was a good team game. Obviously, there’s some things we gotta clean up, with penalties in particular.”

DeBoer on his message to get Ryan Williams back on track…

“I think he’s just hungry to get back out there and do what he does. He missed last week and wanted to be better than what he was in Week 1. So he went back to work, and it was good to see him and Ty connect. And that’s some easy throws that I think get a guy going, both Ryan and Ty. But then also some of those deep sideline throws. Those aren’t the easiest. And so they worked extremely hard on them. We were very intentional on making sure the timing of those routes were good all week long in practice, and they went out and executed. So it was good to see him do his thing, because he’s obviously crazy explosive, especially once he has the ball in his hands.”

DeBoer on Ty Simpson’s accuracy and decision-making…

“He’s really, I think in the last two games, slowed the game down, stayed within himself. I feel like just where his head’s moving and where he’s seeing and going through his read progressions, he’s just been so disciplined on it. And I think it continues to feed on itself when he just stays the course and trusts the guys around him and doesn’t try to do too much. The reads will take you where the ball needs to go. And it isn’t a talent question, right? I mean, he can throw the ball where it needs to go and has been super accurate. Unfortunately, we dropped a few balls for him at the end, and we’re gonna need those. But he’s been playing really well the last two weeks. I think he’s risen to the occasion. We challenged him last week a little bit, and like where his head’s at.”

DeBoer on Simpson’s chemistry with the skill players…

“They know that if they run their route hard, they’re gonna get the ball, right? And so they’re flying around, doing their thing. What I really love, too, about the corps right now is there’s an unselfishness about it that’s developing. And guys know that, ‘Hey, I might not be the primary, but I’m gonna do my job.’ And then someone else might get the ball, and the next time it’s gonna come their way. I saw that happen a couple times today. So two guys just playing for each other. We call some of them running a route for the love of the game. You’re clearing out, you might get the ball, and you always gotta be ready. But you’re running 100 miles an hour as fast as you can, someone else coming underneath. I think Germ’s touchdown that he had over the middle would be a great example of that, and us blowing out the secondary there, and opened up that seam.”

DeBoer on the immediate focal point that he wants to build off of entering the bye week…

“Don’t let off the gas. That’s just where we’re at right now. We’re just very intentional. We’ve been intentional. And when I say that, everything we do has purpose. And so moving with purpose and just how we operate within the building. The guys have an energy right now that’s becoming contagious. They see, and they’re reaping the rewards of it. They see what we’re capable of. They know we’re still so far from being where we need to be. But we’ve taken a couple of steps here in the last two weeks.”

DeBoer on the defense finishing at the quarterback with four sacks…

“That’s great to see. We may send some pressure at times, but there were some sacks where our guys just won their one-on-ones and continue to work off each other. There’s a couple times where the quarterback made passes, there’s gonna be times where there’s a lane that opens up. They got good football players, too. But for the most part, I thought we were there. And it was the next guy, running to the ball carrier, running to the quarterback. And so just continue to harass them over and over and over. Just being present. So I love the effort that the guys gave. We’ll see more on the film, but it seemed positive.”

DeBoer on how he encourages toughness during a game week…

“I think we understand what we’re capable of doing. And there’s just, I think, there’s those older guys that have stepped up in their leadership role. And there’s younger guys that got a feel of it in that first game and understood that it doesn’t just happen by itself. You gotta make it happen. You gotta go will it to happen. You don’t just will it to happen on Saturdays. You gotta will it to happen during the course of the week. And so Tuesday morning, you gotta show up and you gotta do your job. And I just keep asking the guys, when that alarm clock goes off, we’re popping up out of bed and we got a purpose, and that’s to go practice today, to go play. And we just gotta keep that urgency that I feel like our guys have right now.”

DeBoer on if Williams wanted to play with a chip on his shoulder…

I think sitting out last week, he certainly – I think that goes for any player that has to sit out for any type of injury – you love the game and you love being out there and you miss it. So he had a great week of practice, and I think a lot of it has to do with just being on the sideline last week and not being able to play. I would expect the same out of some of the guys that we’re hopeful to get back here very soon, here in a couple weeks. Not that the guys take it for granted, but I think they really have a different perspective when you’re sitting on the sideline, and all the work that you’re putting in puts you in that spot. You wanna go out there and get your opportunity. And I think he took advantage of this opportunity, not just today, but all week long in practice.”

DeBoer on if he’s pleased with the production of the running game…

“I think there’s certainly an area where we can improve in the run game. We have to. It’s execution, probably that’s where it starts. I think their ability to be physical exists, and we just gotta continue to work on it. I know the guys wanna do it, but that’s definitely an area where I can see us continuing to emphasize. And I’ll watch the film exactly what was the execution, or were we not technically sound in executing our job. So we definitely, when you rattle it off like you just did with the numbers, that certainly leads me to believe there’s a lot more potential. So I think pass opens up the run, run opens up the pass. And so I thought earlier in the game, we had a commitment to running, and then that opened up the play action windows in behind.”

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