For all intents and purposes, the Alabama Crimson Tide football program took a step in the right direction from year one to year two under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
They went from missing the playoffs in year one to earning a spot in the SEC Championship and winning a playoff game in year two. Unfortunately for DeBoer and Alabama, the Tide is mostly remembered for the embarrassing loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl.
While sitting down for an exclusive interview with Josh Pate, DeBoer made some interesting comments regarding the blowout loss that ended the Tide’s playoff run last season.
Kalen DeBoer Admits Run Defense and Run Offense Woes
When Kalen DeBoer was asked by Josh Pate what he took away from the 38–3 loss to the Hoosiers and carried into the offseason, he quickly pointed to Indiana’s dominance on the ground and Alabama’s struggles to find that same success running the football.
“They ran it at us. The run game improved for them as the game went along. We struggled to run. I mean, that’s not just in that game.”
The Hoosiers racked up 215 yards on the ground while Alabama could only muster 23. You are not going to win many playoff games with this type of discrepancy in the running game.
DeBoer Wants Alabama to Be Better in Critical Situations
It was also pointed out by DeBoer how Alabama closed out the first half against Indiana, noting that the final moments of the second quarter ultimately shifted the momentum in a game that had been just 3–0 in Indiana’s favor at the time. DeBoer wants Alabama to be better in critical situations moving forward.
“They made big plays in critical moments. That was something we prided ourselves on, and I think we were pretty good at it a year ago. But the end of the first half, the last part of the second quarter, they stretched their lead. That’s what experienced teams do, and we got to continue to work on those things.”
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Made Signifcant Offseason Changes
DeBoer hasn’t just sat around and hoped for things to improve relative to the run game on each side of the ball. Alabama made significant changes on the lines of scrimmage brining in several new linemen.
Alabama will have several new starters on both the offensive and defensive lines. Coach DeBoer also made changes on the coaching staff, bringing in new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm and new tight ends coach Richard Owens, who was previously an offensive line coach at Louisville.
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