Trouble in paradise. Kalen DeBoer’s era at the helm of the Alabama Crimson Tide got off to a shaky start. No. 1 Alabama shockingly fell to the unranked Vanderbilt Commodores, raising urgency in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide was riding high after their victory over Georgia; however, an unexpected misstep has set off alarm bells. Head coach DeBoer made something clear to quarterback Jalen Milroe and the rest of the players.
In the blink of an eye, the Crimson Tide’s season has taken a turn for the worse. Alabama entered the NCAA‘s Week 6 ranked on first place in the AP Poll, yet finished the weekend down at the seventh spot. The reason for their downfall: the Vanderbilt Commodores, who could have seen that one coming? Certainly not Nick Saban, and apparently neither did DeBoer and the Alabama players.
After the shocking 35-40 loss in Nashville, Kalen DeBoer was put on the eye of the storm and the heir to Saban’s legacy now faces an early do-or-die approach to the season. On that note, DeBoer sent a strong message to Jalen Milroe and the Alabama players.
“You know outside of the building the game gets held on to for not a day, probably not a week, some people hold on to it for the rest of their life; but for these guys, they don’t get the choice. We have to move on. We’ve done that after yesterday, understanding where we got to get better. We know we’re a work in progress, not a finished product, by any means and that showed up on Saturday.”
Jalen Milroe #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks to pass the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the first half at FirstBank Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
“You stay the course,” DeBoer said to the players, per AthlonSports. “As a team, that’s what it’s all about. You have to continue to work on your area, keep it within the team concept, stay the course and just keep fighting, keep playing and stick together.”
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The Tide’s odds of making the college football playoffs have been greatly affected by this tumble, and the SEC title is no longer in their hands. Alabama must rely on the downfall of its conference opponents to remain in contention for the title.
Jalen Milroe takes accountability
The star quarterback held himself accountable after his team’s loss. Milroe finished the game with 310 passing yards, one touchdown through the air, as well as one on the ground. However, the end result was bigger to Milroe than his individual statline.
“Losing feels bad,” Milroe said, via Al.com. “It’s all about how you can reflect and how can you refine and get better. That’s going to be critical for us to have the 24-hour rule. Regroup, refocus. Challenge each other to get better.”
Alabama’s road ahead
Alabama fell to Vanderbilt for the first time since 1984, at that time head coach DeBoer was only 10 years old. This shocking loss marked the first time in decades that several generations of Crimson Tide fans witnessed their team lose to the Commodores
However, as DeBoer said, Alabama must move on and focus on the next game. What’s done is done, and they must now prepare for their matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks. On October 12th at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide will look to get back in the win column and get their SEC season back on track.
