Kalen DeBoer Learning Just How Tough it is to Win in SEC

Alabama's first three SEC games have all come down to the final drive, and the Crimson Tide is getting outscored 92-73 over the last 10 quarters.

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer watches his team play at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated South Carolina 27-25. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama is 5-1 (2-1 SEC) at the halfway point of the regular season. Looking at the schedule preseason, most Crimson Tide fans would've been happy with that record. Winning in the SEC especially is hard, and the last three games have been proof of that for Alabama.

Exactly two weeks ago, Alabama was riding high walking out of Bryant-Denny Stadium after upsetting No. 2 Georgia. Sure the Crimson Tide blew a 28-point lead and needed an interception in the final minute to prevent a Georgia win, but that was easily forgiven because of the magnitude of the win.

Alabama went from the top of the mountain to a crushing valley the next week, losing to Vanderbilt 40-35. And Saturday's narrow 27-25 home win over South Carolina didn't particularly show a great bounce back from the loss at Vanderbilt.

Ultimately, the Crimson Tide found a way to win against the Gamecocks in Kalen DeBoer's sixth game as Alabama head coach, but it was a wild ride until the literal final play of the game. For the third game in a row, Alabama's defense was on the field to end the game.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe connected with wide receiver Germie Bernard for a 34-yard touchdown on third-and-10 coming out of the two-minute warning to go up eight points with 1:54 left in the game. South Carolina had no timeouts remaining, so all the Alabama defense needed eas to get a stop somehow, some way.

Instead, the Gamecocks were in the end zone six plays later to cut the deficit to two points. They then recovered the ensuing onside kick with a chance to win. Domani Jackson's interception on the final play sealed the game for the Crimson Tide and helped Alabama avoid another massive upset.

"Another game down the wire–we're getting accustomed to those," DeBoer said after the game. "There are things we can do to make sure it doesn't get to that point."

One of the things Alabama needs to improve so that the games don't get to this point is penalties. Alabama was penalized seven times for 66 yards on Saturday against the Gamecocks, which isn't the highest total of the season, but the penalties were super costly.

A big gain for a first down in the first quarter by CJ Dippre was wiped out by an ineligible man downfield penalty, and Alabama ended up punting on the drive. The Alabama defense got a stop on third down early in the second quarter, but the drive was extended by a roughing the passer penalty. A personal foul penalty on special teams pinned Alabama deep in its own territory, which led to the South Carolina safety in the final minutes of the first half.

And perhaps the most crucial penalty of the game occurred on South Carolina's final touchdown drive. As the Gamecocks were driving with no timeouts and under a minute left, Alabama got a sack on second-and-10. This would've caused a lot of time to run off the clock, plus set up a third-and-long for the Gamecocks. But a facemask penalty on Que Robinson gave South Carolina a fresh set of downs and stopped the clock.

"We strive for zero (penalties), and that's what we're trying to do," DeBoer said. "We emphasize it. Every situation is a learning one, and we're going to talk about that. We have to read the body language of what's happening... Those plays kept piling up. The small things—though that was a big one—add up, and we found ourselves in a fight to the end."

Alabama has been outscored 92-73 over the last 10 quarters since jumping out to a 30-7 lead at halftime over Georgia. The first three conference games have all come down to the final drive of the game after the Crimson Tide breezed through non-conference play with relative ease.

Crimson Tide wide receiver Germie Bernard, who transferred with DeBoer from Washington, talked about what Alabama has learned from these games close games

"Playing a whole four quarters, not playing one half or one quarter," Bernard said. "We have to show up every single quarter, every single play. Like coach says all the time, going 1-0 every play. Be perfect every play. It just comes down to execution, and if we execute properly, we won’t have any issues.”

Offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor said Alabama had to put the Vanderbilt game behind them and not let the mistakes get to their heads.

South Carolina was more than a 20-point underdog coming into Saturday's game against Alabama, but the Gamecocks gave Alabama all it could handle after the Crimson Tide got ahead early.

Alabama went for it on fourth down from its own-34 on the opening series and continued the drive all the way down the field for a Jalen Milroe rushing touchdown to take the early lead. The Crimson Tide led 14-0 with less than five minutes to go in the first half, but a wild sequence of poor defense and bad decisions allowed South Carolina to score 12 unanswered points in the final 1:37 of the first half.

A 16-play, 85-yard drive that consumed more than eight minutes off the clock coming out of the half gave South Carolina its first lead at 19-14. That score would hold until Milroe's second rushing touchdown reclaimed the lead early in the fourth quarter, which Alabama managed to hold onto despite the craziness of the final few minutes.

Fifth-year defensive lineman Tim Smith was happy that Alabama got the win, but said it wasn't, "the dub we wanted." He said Alabama should have been more dominant and physical against South Carolina.

Things won't get any easier for DeBoer and the Crimson Tide. Next week, Alabama has a rivalry game on the road at top-10 Tennessee with road trips to LSU and Oklahoma still looming. There are still home games against Missouri and Auburn, but the loss to Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-1 SEC) and close game against South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) proved that Alabama can't overlook any conference opponent left on the schedule.

"It’s the SEC," Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell said. "We’re always going to get everybody’s best at Alabama. Going forward with these SEC teams, we’ve just got to keep on preparing with a certain high level of intensity and preparation so that we can come out to get a W every week.”

See also: Everything South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer Said After Falling to No. 7 Alabama