TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ---- In arguably one of the greatest college football games of all time, No. 4 Alabama and Kalen DeBoer fought off No. 2 Georgia, who came back in the fourth quarter down 19-points. The Crimson Tide advance to 4-0 on the season; here's everything Kalen DeBoer said after his first SEC victory at Alabama.
Opening Statement
"Heck of a game. A lot happened all game long, with a lot of energy from coaches and players. Proud of how we played; it took all four quarters. They made a run in the second half, but I’m proud of how our guys kept fighting and playing. We’re learning and growing every play. You saw that at the end with Zabien's interception—he had a couple of tough throws but was in great position, sometimes underthrowing it, but still played it well.
These guys are fun to coach because they want to get better. Highlighted Ryan with the big touchdown play. Two number twos out there, both freshmen, and it was fun to celebrate. Love how they work every day. Tip the cap to Georgia; they’re a heck of a team, and we pushed each other to the end. Proud of our guys. We talk about getting what you deserve, and these guys come to practice and the weight room every day, doing everything we ask at a high level.
We expect to win games like this. The locker room is full of excitement, but we also know this is the expectation. There’s a lot of season left, so we need to manage our energy and get ready for next week.
On Alabama’s impactful freshman
"Says a lot. Mentally, they’re well ahead of their time. They've played enough snaps now to where there's a belief, not only in themselves, but from all of us. We see it in practice. They’re playmakers, they battle, they grind. They were tired, played a lot of snaps, did a lot of running, but they’re true to what we ask—grinding for four quarters and even until the very end. They earned that stripe down the middle of their helmet today, that’s for sure.
On Jalen Milroe’s performance
"Jalen, five offensive touchdowns—what did I think of the way he played and how he started the game? He was exceptional. I didn’t want to jump the gun, but I’ve felt the last couple of weeks, starting with the Wisconsin game, where he found some rhythm and made those plays, that he’s taken a step. We didn’t have enough opportunities, I think we threw it 17 times, but you can see his progress from week two to week three. The offensive line is doing a good job protecting him for the most part, and he’s thinking about where to go with the ball. He’s not perfect, but he’s a weapon out there. He’s doing it through the air and with his feet, and he’s tough to game plan against.
On Jalen Milroe throwing in empty sets
"When he needed to put the ball somewhere, his accuracy, timing, rhythm, confidence, and belief in his receivers showed. Not every play worked—there were a couple of times we let him down with guys not running the right routes, and it looked off. But he stayed the course mentally, and he continues to grow—not just as a football player, but as a leader as well.
On the emotions of blowing a 28-point lead, coming back
"When you face a really good football team, there's going to be a strong push. That’s what I’d expect from us if we were ever in that spot. We’re going to fight till the end, and I expect our guys to make plays. Sometimes, when the other team is on their heels, just throwing it up with the urgency they need, a couple of plays go your way. Those are the sparks, and that’s what happened. They did a nice job converting some fourth downs, and I think that was the story of the second half—those fourth-down calls. If we get one or two of those, the game looks different in the second half.
But yeah, those are the battles. We know that’s what every week is going to be. People are going to bring their best shot to us, and that’s the SEC. Proud of our guys for how they kept responding. It wasn’t like every next play or drive was perfect, but we played team football, covered for each other, got some takeaways, and a field goal. Special teams did a nice job. Of course, there were some letdowns, and we all saw what those were.
On Kendrick Law’s injury
"Yeah, he's got a lower-body injury. I’m not sure what his status will be, but it’s unfortunate because he had a great couple of weeks in practice and kept building. He was really juiced up before the game, and I thought he was doing some good things to help our offense, even if they didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to be with us throughout the game.
On the team responding in the end
"Yeah, we talked about it on Sunday. There were some games last week, and our guys had the bye week, watching a lot of football. We talked about how there are last-second plays, and you've got to keep fighting and playing. With our talent, the game is going to come back to us, even when it feels like it’s slipping away. That belief from tonight is something we’ll intentionally remember because it’s going to happen again, and we’ll have to do the same thing at some point this season.
You never know—maybe sooner than later—but it’s about guys being ready when their opportunity comes. We talked about that a lot during fall camp. I reminded them before the game, and I thought our guys were ready when their opportunity came. They made a play, and that’s what we’re going to need.
On Ryan Williams’ arrival
"Oh yeah, he’s involved. I still feel we threw it to 10 or 11 different guys today, and that’s going to be key—everyone still needs to be involved, so attention can’t solely be on him. He’s a guy who has had some plays, especially in the early part of the season. He was very open, but there were reasons why he was open, like a subtle understanding of timing and where the ball was going to be thrown within the concept.
Now you see some of the playmaking that we saw during fall camp, with competitive catches happening a couple of times tonight. What impresses me even more is what he’s doing after the catch. It’s not surprising, but it’s certainly impressive. When you practice every day against each other and have a couple scrimmages, you get a few chances, but he’s doing it repeatedly, getting the ball in his hands and making people miss, resulting in a lot of yards after the catch and after contact. He’s a special player.
The most impressive thing is how he handles success. He seems to be back to work and remains the same guy on Tuesday and tomorrow when we show up for workouts. That’s what I think our team really sees, and the upperclassmen have noticed that from day one.
On the gameplan for Alabama’s lead taking drive
"Jalen and I have talked a lot about this, not just this week but since day one, about never having regrets and competing until the very end. That’s what I want our team to do—we talk about staying positive and keeping fighting. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way, and that doesn’t mean you need to lose the game. Sometimes a play doesn’t end up the way you wanted, but you’ve got to keep fighting.
When it comes to the concept, a lot of our plays have opportunities for one-on-one matchups, and if you like the matchup, you go after it. He liked what he saw and delivered, and Ryan did the rest. Many of our concepts have shots built in, but there are also other elements to the passing game where we’re looking to have a high completion percentage. I think that’s the one thing that jumped out at me. I don’t know what 27 to 33 is, but it’s got to be 80-plus percent. That’s what I love to see. If we can be over 65, that’s a positive step, and he’s well above that.
On following the “LANK” motto
"Yeah, you know, that’s some stuff internally. We know that when you have a matchup like this, there are going to be people who believe one thing or another. Is this a mismatch? Is this position against that position? You know that it’s from the team aspect, but it’s also about a position group or the individual side of the ball.
I think our guys do a great job of having that edge that comes with that mentality. I’m proud of them because they understand that edge, but they keep their confidence. They don’t do it in an arrogant way, and I appreciate how they come to work. You can really see that translate into the opportunities and wins, like we had tonight.
