Everything Kalen DeBoer said to kick off South Carolina game week

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke to reporters on Monday of South Carolina week. Here is everything DeBoer said to kick off game week No. 8 of the season.

DeBoer’s opening statement…

“Just wrapping up Tennessee, a lot of what I felt after the game, just a resilient effort again by our guys. Sticking together, playing just good all-around team football. It’s never perfect. It’s hard to be when you’re playing a good team like we had with Tennessee. Just making plays at the right times, especially in the red zone, were really critical, 4-for-4 touchdowns on our end. Holding them to two out of five. Just critical moments, I thought our guys really did a nice job of stepping up. Just gotta sustain the focus, sustain the edge that we have another week. We know that’s what it is in the SEC. Gotta go on the road to a great environment at South Carolina and face a team that, I think when you look at defensively, just really stout and has a lot of dynamic playmakers. Offensively, has the explosive players there to make big plays. They’ve shown that and just have come up short in a few games. It’s gonna be a battle. We understand it’s gonna take four quarters of great effort like we’ve had.”

DeBoer on South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers…

“Watched a cut-up this morning with the defensive staff, and it’s just one play after the other. There was more. We didn’t even need to see it all because the point was very clear, and we’ve gotta make sure our guys continue to rally. We’ve faced running backs and guys that are tough to bring down, but this guy touches the ball every single play. So, you can get to him. That’s one thing. But you also, now, gotta get him down. It’s not gonna be just one. It’s gotta take multiple guys rallying, coming from different directions. He’s got the speed. He’s got the size. He’s just, he’s super strong. He’s a relentless player. He fights for every yard he can get.”

DeBoer on keeping players locked in this week…

“You always draw on the experiences, and the moment we’re in right now, there is momentum. There’s things that we’re doing well. There’s things that I know our guys have as far as goals, individually, as a team, that we haven’t even come close to reaching yet. So, taking those experiences from the past, good and bad, that we’ve been through, understanding that it comes down to our preparation and just locking in what we can control. That’s what’s got us to this point where every game means so much and we’ve gotta, tomorrow morning, come with the edge that we have had. I expect that from our guys.

DeBoer on the teaching point on Ty Simpson’s fumble…

“We talked about that yesterday. We showed that both in my team room, and it’s a team thing too. It was called a safety, right, when we got to Tennessee’s quarterback, but I loved how our guys went right to the ball. And then there was another play where it was a throw and I know we, I’m trying to remember who caught it, but it was an incomplete pass. But I remember seeing Isaiah Horton sprinting towards the ball trying to land on it. I love that effort, but we definitely were not aware of the situation and need to be better in that moment to not give field position up like we did there on that play. Until the whistle blows, you’ve gotta keep playing.”

DeBoer on how emotions have been part of Alabama playing with an edge…

“Playing home games, the energy and rivalry — you can feel it. You can feel it, certainly, the morning and the walk-throughs and things like that. We got to make sure that we understand that we’re gonna be walking into an environment that will get on you in a hurry if you don’t bring your best. The preparation and just the investment of time, the investment of your energy throughout the week leading to a confidence and excitement to go out there and make plays and be our best — I still, I challenged the guys, and they believe it, that the world has not seen Bama’s best yet. That’s really what we’re striving to do. When you keep it really as simple as possible on that, have great preparation, everyone caring about what we’re trying to accomplish, you have that edge. We got to stack another week of work, one day at a time and be ready to go on Saturday.”

DeBoer on knowing there’s still a lot to improve upon…

“It’s why we’re going to go to work tomorrow, and our coaches just always trying to find ways to put our guys in better spots, and it’s constantly envolving, right? Constantly changing because it’s a different opponent, different strengths we’re gonna face. Different position groups on offense, defense and special teams are all gonna be put to the test, differently than they were last week. It might be similar to a few weeks ago with your position group but be better, and help bring others with you emotionally. We continue to raise our game physically. There’s a toughness about us and always, but it’s going to be a physical test this week, both sides of the ball needing to match-up against South Carolina.”

DeBoer on his input in scripting the first drive of the game…

“I let them (Ryan Grubb and Ty Simpson) — throughout the week, they’re really gonna know what they’re comfortable with. Usually Thursday we get the point where Coach Grubb and the offensive staff, have an idea, a really strong idea, and put a play bank together. I know he’s gonna really probably talk with Ty in particular, making sure feels all good with everything, and if there’s anything he’s concerned about, usually you can feel that as the week goes on. I can see that on the call sheet. Feel comfortable with myself. I always like to know what’s early but I don’t press on it because I know as a play-caller over many years, you might change your mind until kickoff.

“So again, I kind of have an idea of the bank of plays on our call sheet but not necessarily in particular order. Just kind of checking off and making sure over the course of the game that those are the plays we felt best about, that we’re getting them called, and trust the rhythm, trust the prep that Coach Grubb has put in and see the adjustments and the way it presents itself that might be different than what we worked on, but they’re so thorough, they’re so detailed — Ryan is just dialed in on all of those situations and understanding as much as anything, what are the third down calls? What are the fourth down calls? What are those plays in the red zone when we got to decide, it’s fourth-and-2, what are we gonna do? Have an idea of the one or two calls that might be next on the call sheet. I really let them work through it, and I can see later in the week — by Friday for sure — of what really that’s probably gonna be when it comes to our openers.”

DeBoer on carrying energy from big home win to a hostile road environment…

“I think it’s their homecoming, too. And so, you’re just trying to find every way and everything to present a challenge to our guys, what they’re up against. I think it goes through the experiences we’ve had together. Our guys understand we are gonna get everyone’s best shot.”

DeBoer on James Smith…

“I really, if you think big picture from a year ago to now, I love the energy. It just, there’s a personality, there’s a connection that I feel with him, and I feel like our relationship is really good. There’s been moments, and he had one where he hit the quarterback late. And I know how much he cares, I see it. As soon as he could, he was back there talking to me, owning up to it, and knowing he messed up. And so it’s just a matter of learning from that. And I feel when people do care, like he does, they’ll be better because of it. So, it doesn’t mean you don’t have consequences that come along with the penalties, in that particular case, like we have in our program. And so he owns up to that, takes care of those consequences, and we move on.”

DeBoer on how to avoid what has cost the team in road games against unranked teams…

“I think there’s different reasons. I think there’s been times where neither side of the ball could really overcome the momentum swings, and it just built on itself. I think starting games quickly, at least one side of the ball, starting and getting stops or putting a score on the board. But I think a lot of it is just execution in critical moments, converting a third down when it’s really loud on the first drive of the game, or getting the ball at the end zone, or getting a big stop. Those things are the things that you need to have. And then as the game goes on, and it is close, again, I talked about critical moments. I said it all offseason, be great in the critical moments. And that’s really, there’s been some close games in critical moments.

“A critical moment doesn’t always mean the fourth quarter. It could be at the end of the second quarter. And getting a stop and finding a way to put it in the end zone yourself when the clock’s running out. So, be great in those critical moments. And that does different things for different sides of the ball. Staying on the field offensively, converting, and making them line up and play another snap defensively, because I really feel like when our fight is there as a team, and I think, again, the experience we’ve been through, it’s added to a resiliency, it’s added to a belief, it’s added to a consistency and a toughness, again, mental, physical and emotional that our team really is counting on each other to get the job done.”

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