After a crushing 38-3 Rose Bowl defeat to the Indiana Hoosiers in the CFP quarterfinal on January 1, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer is facing the intense criticism that follows such a result.
On January 2, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum delivered a blunt assessment of what he saw from the Crimson Tide against Indiana, which was a shell of its former self under Nick Saban.
“If you watched this game, you thought the team that was beating down Alabama was Alabama under Nick Saban,” Finebaum said on the January 2 edition of “Get Up.” “I realize the uniform was similar, but they played just like a Nick Saban team.
“They beat you to death and made you give up. And that’s what happened. And that’s why everybody in Alabama this morning is beside themselves, because their team looks soft, their coach looks soft, and their program looks soft. And that is unprecedented territory for Alabama.”
Moreover, Finebaum noted that DeBoer is drawing the wrath of the Alabama fan base after witnessing the team’s brutal showing.
“There have been bad losses in recent history,“ Finebaum added. “Nick Saban lost by 28 once in a National Championship Game with Tua Tagovailoa. But ultimately, he’d also had a number of championships in his back pocket. Kalen DeBoer doesn’t have anything in his back pocket right now except ill will from the Alabama fan base. And I thought that all changed 10 days ago when we were in Norman, but it has not. It has actually gotten worse.”
Kalen DeBoer Gets Honest About Alabama Loss to Indiana
The first quarter saw no scoring, but once the action picked up, the Hoosiers took control. Fernando Mendoza and his teammates put up 17 points in the second quarter and added another 21 right after halftime.
Alabama’s troubles worsened when starting quarterback Ty Simpson exited the game with an injury, forcing Austin Mack into the starting role. Everything that could go wrong for the Crimson Tide did, making it an afternoon to forget in Pasadena.
After the loss, DeBoer spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on his team’s brutal performance.
“Yeah, got to give a tip of the hat to Indiana and everything they did today,“ DeBoer said (h/t Alabama Crimson Tide on SI). “For us, it’s a lot of emotions right now. We can be upset because losing doesn’t sit well with us. We can be frustrated about it. That’s what our program’s going to be. We’ve got to use that emotion moving forward, but we’re also proud. Proud of what we accomplished.”
Kalen DeBoer Credits Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza
DeBoer also praised Mendoza for his showing, noting that Alabama’s defense struggled to contain the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The Indiana quarterback completed 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
“They’re very good,“ DeBoer added. “Their trigger man made all the throws and they continued to wear us down. They executed at a high level on both sides of the ball. You’ve got to tip your cap to coach Cignetti. They’re all aligned in execution and that’s what they did today.”
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