What Kalen DeBoer Said After Alabama Lost to Tennessee

Full transcript and press conference video from the Alabama football coach after the Crimson Tide drops its second straight road game.

Oct 19, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on before a game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. / Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— Alabama football dropped its second straight road game Saturday night at No. 11 Tennessee. The Crimson Tide couldn't hold on to a fourth-quarter lead as the Volunteers won 24-17, winning back-to-back games in Neyland Stadium against Alabama.

Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer will speak to the media after the game.

Follow along for updates from DeBoer's postgame press conference with a full transcript and press conference video to be posted after.

Full Transcript

Opening Statement

"Obivously a tough loss, frustrating loss. We've had two now. Just can't play team football, can't bring it together. One side of the football has highlighted moments, and the other side stumbles. And some missed opportunities. You try to look inward after every game, and we've got to continue to do the same.

"I know we've got a locker room that's hurting. I feel like there's always a common feel in the locker room after a loss, but these guys–– I have no doubt in my mind that they poured everything into the preparation. Just frustrated. We can't get over the hump."

On the thought process of the fourth-and-22 call in fourth quarter...

"Well, there's a lot of things that can go for you. Either way it's going to be a punt, and you're going to get the ball back if you stop 'em. And you're going to have have a touchdown either way on our end if we can just hold them to a field goal. You're going to have to get a stop on three straight plays, use your three timeouts, and so it can both ways. But more than likely if you stop them, you're going to get the punt back and have to go the length of the field anyway. You're getting yourself one more play, and they did a good job of checking in and out of something. A chance for us. I know what it looks like when you watch it, but there's a game plan reason. Where we would do something where I understand you're throwing short to the sticks as well. Hats off to them. They played it the way they needed to, adjusted. I couldn't burn a timeout when we're in that situation because I knew we needed the three for the next play or for the defensive sequence when we got to that."

On what led to penalties...

"Yeah it's a little bit of everything, right? It's false starts–– just getting off to a rough start there. Then there's a couple more intermixed in there. There's some mental mistakes. It's, you know, with the two games earlier in the year and this one, you just can't get over the hump, and it's going to put you in some situations where you've got your backs to the wall. We can't kill ourselves like that. There's times that you see that we're locked in, but we've got to be better. We've got to be better. There's no question. You can't win a football game when you have mistakes like we had out there and all the penalties."

On what he saw from the running backs and struggle in the running game...

"They're a physical defense up front, and we knew you'd have to have a mix of run and pass. Tried to use J-Mil in the run game as well, but just trying to get a flow. Trying to find a time where you can get in a rhythm. The penalties hurt us to where you're behind the sticks. Trying to stay patients. Trying to, even at the end– not the last drive, but the second-to-last drive–– trying to stay with it. And know that if you can just put one play on top of the other, you can move the ball down the field. When you don't have the explosives, it's just too hard to stack plays a whole length of the field. You have to have some type of explosive plays."

On his messsage to the players who aren't used to losing two games this early in the season...

"I told them in there, these are the speeches I'm not good at. There's inward, you've got to look inward first and make sure that everything you're doing is right. And then anyone that you sense that has any type of questioning, you've got to make sure you bring them with.

"The thing I know is that with our guys there's enough that know exactly what you're talking about to where it eats at them. And we've got to continue to mesh the vets with the new guys, the ones that need to continue to understand what this program stands for and what it's all about. I don't question the fight. I mean, I don't question the prep. I don't question the work that was put in. These guys came ready, and Tuesday's practice was great as far as the energy and really felt like we were on track each and every day. We just can't mesh right now the offense and defense together and play great team football. There's times where we've got to be able to separate ourselves and have that killer instinct, and right now, we don't do that. And it's not like they're not trying, it's just the execution needs to be better. One play can kill an offensive drive, you know. Defense does a nice job, and then they get into their tempo. Which we knew if we kept them out of that rhythm, we'd be alright. They got into it there in the third quarter, and it was tough to stop. It starts with running the football with them."

Was Alabama forcing the ball to Ryan Williams with 20 targets?

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I think that some of them, there is an intentional element to making sure he's part of the game plan. And then some of it was just, you know, the progressions and where it ended up. Unfortunately, we just had a couple misses, right? We hit one or two of those — the interception early in the game we had a good little rhythm right there. I mean, some of those hurt. But you have to have confidence in your players to continue to go back and go make the next play. And we obviously have a lot of belief in every one of our players. You know, he's a guy that can go make those plays anytime. So we got to continue to make sure he's a strong part of the game plan."

What's the message to the fanbase after two losses?

"I told the guys, so the message to them is, get back after it. Get to work. First of all, do some soul searching and look inward. I know there's enough guys that still believe, that still want to go do what we want to do. There's a lot of season left for not just us, but everyone. It's gonna go fast if we don't take advantage of it. That urgency's got to be there–– there's no question.

"We get a chance to get back home, but we've got to go to work first before we play that game and find a way to make that next big jump. You know, a lot of guys that we've gotta now incorporate into schemes offensively and defensively with some guys going down. They're getting an opportunity now too to help build depth, but we've got to make the plays to go win right now, and that's where we're just falling short. Make sure our minds are right. Make sure our heart's in the right place. And then all I know is you just go back to work. That's the only thing you can do. That's what I've always done. And these guys, just having a talk in the locker room, I really firmly believe that that's what they want to do too.

"So don't lose belief in these guys because there's a lot of guys making some big sacrifices in ways that people will never know because they just keep plugging away. And it might be physical things and stuff like that, but they're working hard, and they have a lot of pride in who they are individually and who we are as Alabama."

Live Updates from press conference

(latest updates at the top)

• "All I know is that you have to go back to work."- DeBoer talking about the message to the fans and the team.
• DeBoer doesn't feel like Alabama targeted Ryan Williams too much.
• DeBoer says he doesn't question the work, fight or preparation from the team.
• DeBoer says these type of the postgame speeches are the ones he's not good at after a second loss.
• On penalties- "We can't kill ourselves like that... Got to be better." Says Alabama won't win games with mistakes like that.
• DeBoer says it's a tough and frustrating loss. Alabama "can't play team football right now."
• DeBoer arrives at the podium around 7:03