Everything Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said about facing South Carolina

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke to the media on Monday to preview the Crimson Tide’s upcoming road trip to South Carolina. Kickoff on Saturday is at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

Here’s everything DeBoer had to say about facing the Gamecocks.

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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.”

I wanted to ask about defending LaNorris Sellers. Obviously, he’s not only athletic, but he’s big, he’s strong, and he can break tackles. It’s a little bit different dynamic when the quarterback can run through a solo tackle, right?

“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.”

How do you carry the energy from a big home win like Tennessee on the road into a hostile environment at South Carolina this week?

“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.”

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What do you think has cost your team in some of these road games versus unranked opponents, and how do you try to avoid that this week?

“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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