'Proud of the way the guys fight': Kalen DeBoer on Alabama narrowly winning against South Carolina 27-25

Uh, you know, defensively, uh, you know, got to the quarterback of, you know, we have 34 sacks, I think it was and, uh, you know, 33 takeaways and that's, uh, you know, always *** emphasis. Uh, it continues to be emphasis and proud of the way the guys, uh, came through with, uh, with those, um, with the, yeah, three. Do we have three or four? Three? Yeah, I couldn't remember if the interception was the fourth or the third. So, um, just, yeah, just proud of the way the guys fight. Um, you know, the onside kick, we talk about our thought process and being one and, oh, and focusing on the next play and, uh, I use it from day one about the ball being ***, *** funny shaped shaped object and bouncing, you know. Yeah, we just need to go grab it. It seems pretty simple, but obviously that didn't happen. So the guys were trying great effort on it but, uh, you know, uh, found *** way of defense go out there and attack, be aggressive and, uh, put them in *** tough spot there on the last play. Yeah, the touchdown, the German, uh As far as the, the decision to call that play, we need the first down. What went into that and then also, uh was any thought put into potentially going down and not scoring *** touchdown for so you can kneel it out. Yeah, we knew we had to get the first down. Uh, just really with how much time was on the clock, uh, knew you didn't have the time out. So there is *** risk reward, right? Uh, on those calls, uh, we were just right on the edge of what would take to kick *** field goal, field goal, makes it, uh, *** difference, you know, as far as what they got to score. Uh So *** lot of, *** lot of components, *** lot of things that are involved in what we try to do and, uh, there's ***, there was *** lot of safe avenues and, and things that we discussed on that play. Uh, and I think that they were aggressive in trying to play *** lot of those and, you know, just like *** lot of our concepts, there's *** deeper route and love that. Uh Jalen saw it because I think that's *** lot of times early in the season. Uh, we didn't maybe see those things but him and understanding the offense, uh, just his familiarity. Um, and then it just making the throw, making the catch and, uh, you know, and that's finding ways to, to get it done so proud of those guys on that execution. Obviously, that was *** huge part or huge part of the win all the way back on the right side, open and drive fourth and one on your own 34. You go for it, you get the two yard sneak with mil were, were analytics saying to go there or were you bucking analytics in that situation? Yeah, I think they were there. I'm pretty confident they were saying to go. So it's only it pretty much the analytics say any fourth and one you should go for it. So, um but yeah, we were and uh just felt confident uh with the, the tempo and uh we really haven't done much of that. So even them just uh seeing what we would line up and how we would run it. Um You know, the first time, uh that was uh something we were pretty confident. We, we work on it every single week, uh later, later, later part of the week. And uh I thought the guys did *** nice job and *** big part obviously, in getting some momentum, you hate putting on the first drive when it's 3rd, 4th and 1. So um great, great job with the guys executing something we hadn't really done this year. Yeah, he goes just what went into the decision to kind of wait and call *** time out with 11 seconds there before the half. Yeah, I mean, I trust I trust our guys, you know, and that one, obviously I was, you know, the points and the points they got at the end of, you know, at the end of the half they hurt us. And, um, you know, I'm thinking if we can get one play to where we can throw it in the end zone, uh, on fourth down and the clock ends with us having the football, uh, I'm all for it, you know, and, uh, worst case scenario, you take *** sack or something, you, you have to punt it. I don't like punting, you know, uh, really anytime but, you know, that was to me the, the worst case scenario. But, you know, I always, I guess I'm always just aggressive that way and, uh, you try to weigh the risk, risk reward and put the trust in the guys things we talk about. Um, you know, that'd be something obviously, me and J Mill coach Sheridan. Well, we'll sit and talk about and just, uh, when we're in that moment and we want to keep the pedal down and try to give ourselves ***, another play. Uh, you know, I'm, I'm looking for anything passing might be defensive, pass interference. Uh, it could be anything that gives us one more play. Um, we've seen crazier things happen. Right. And so, uh, that's, that's just the aggressiveness I, I like to have now, you know, we'll talk about the trust and, uh, I think the guys appreciate when you put the trust in, but we have to learn from those things when they do happen because obviously they got three points of it, three points out of it. It's probably the last thing I was thinking about, uh when it did happen. So coach, what does it say about Di Monti's toughness, got the injury there earlier in the game but to come back and have the game ceiling pick. Just Dimon's toughness. Yeah, he did. It is, uh, you know, and he'll, I think he'll be fine. Uh, obviously he was back out there. So, uh, the guy guy wants to go out there, he's had *** great season so far. Uh, he's ***, he's someone we got *** lot of confidence in and we wanted to just use him, uh, at the right times, the right moments in the second half when those times came up and, you know, again finding *** way to, to pull it down and concentrate on the ball and, um, you know, it's kind of the most people would look at it as an easy pick, but you got to still be there and you still got to make the play. So, um, definitely proud of the fight that he had and wanting to be back out there, uh, considering he had to go, did go down earlier in the game. You had some penalties today that extended drives for South Carolina, the one that set up the safety for y'all just kind of, what's it gonna take to clean up the penalties? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's penalties, uh, you know, we're striving for zero, you know, and that's, that's, uh, what we're, what we're, you know, trying to do and, and, uh, we emphasize it, you know, every situation is *** learning one and we're gonna talk about that, like we have to read body language of what's happening, you know, uh I haven't seen it. So, you know what I say might just be totally not correct. But uh you know, the understanding is that when he comes across the field, I know what his responsibility is. When he's coming across the field, he doesn't hear *** whistle. You just got to kind of at some point have *** sense of uh where the, what, what's happening in front of you and if your guy has slowed down or anything like that, uh you know, when you hit him, but I know the ball wasn't that deep into the end zone. Uh I thought we might even field it and, and bring it out. Uh I think it was *** late decision on whether we're going to do that and let it let it go. So, um you know, it wasn't something where he's egregiously trying to go out and get *** penalty. Uh It's just more of *** matter of uh of reading what's happening in front of you and instinctually knowing that the play, you know, is *** touchback. And so again, that's, that's something I'm sure I'll see on film and understand, uh, you know, how close was it? I think by the letter, I know by the letter of the law, yeah, probably *** penalty. Right balls touch back and all that. So we can't have it, we can't do it. And, uh, um, you know, that was one that hurt us because it put us in that situation for the safety. So just those players kept feeding on each other, the small things, which that's *** big thing, but the small things add up and we find ourselves in *** fight till the end. Coach. What would you attribute the struggles the defense is facing on third down to and where do you want to see some improvement there? Where were we seven for 15? They were seven for 15, I think they had five on one drive, right? Um, four or five, something like that. I remember talking about it on the sideline. And so the rest of the half, two, right? Two for, uh rest of the game, two for 10. Is that right? I'm just doing rough math. So we can't have, you can't have five of them in *** drive, right? Uh, and I think there's just ***, ***, you know, um, just that desire to find *** way to make the play. Um, I, I watched the film and we'll all understand what happened on *** lot of those, they were in some good situations on some, I remember the ball they caught over the middle was, uh, advantageous for us as far as the down and distance. Um, and that's the one where you really got to get off the football field. And, uh, those are hard to convert just from an offensive side and, and, uh, they did. So, uh, you know, *** lot of the game I felt like we were, we were doing *** solid job. Can't say we were doing *** great job, but that drive certainly coming out, uh, in the second half, uh, set the tone and made it hard for us the rest of the game. So you got to start *** little faster when we come out, we talk about the, the middle, uh, the middle eight, going into the locker room coming out, they got the ball, uh, and then they had those points in the first half. We just got to do *** good job of starting fast, you know, in the middle part of the game and then obviously finishing, I think we did some things on the both ends, but we got to do *** good job there before we go to the locker room, taking that momentum in right here. Kayla, it's probably easier said than done in the moment, but, you know, had, had Jeremy gone down at the one yard line, the game's over. Do you talk with him about that and the same kind of thing with maybe the money at the end of the interception. Do you talk about? You know? Yeah, we have all those calls in, uh, we practice them every Friday. Um, uh, that was honestly, I, I'll just say that, that you, you try to make them aware that they don't have any time outs. Uh, that's *** situation. Um, and so we'll talk about that. Those are things that hit us. Uh The one with the mani, I just talked to him about it, you know, and again, this is where we learn, you know, we learn and you know what his mindset is is I'm gonna run off the clock, you know. And so, uh true, right. But we all understand, all we gotta do is go down, take *** knee. And so those are, those are just things that we gotta continue to learn from. You know, fortunately nothing happened at the end there, whether it's an injury or obviously even something else to where there's another play, something freakish happens. So, um you know, just continue to coach, continue to teach, uh you know, you talk about those things and you think that everyone's good, just take *** knee in the end zone, understanding there's no time outs, we knew that. Um, but then he comes out with that and that was the last thing I expected him to, to say. But love, love the kid, love to play and uh you know, we'll learn from it. So, hey, Kaylin over here, um you mentioned uh that 16 play drive, the one with the five third down conversions for South Carolina. Do you sense opposing offenses kind of continuing, you know, the long drive narratives, like the ones where it's just, you know, it seems like they're doing everything to keep the ball in hand, nine minute drives, long scoring drive. And do you see that continue from, was it similar to what Vanderbilt did to you guys? Do you see s like *** similar approach on of opposing offenses? I think, I think these two offenses we face are more built to have just drives that continue to have play stack on top of each other. I know they got the explosive on the fourth down against our coverage with uh the ball down the sideline. Uh and, and, you know, I think it took the safety out of the picture there. Um, but I think it would fit more of them and, you know, the running back quarterback guys that just kept moving the chains, uh three yards, four yards trying to get in those third and ones third and twos convert, uh you know, slants or something like that just to, to keep the, keep the drive alive. But, um, you know, I can't say that they are, aren't. Um But, you know, obviously it's frustrating when they can put five third downs together and then, you know, you start wearing on your defense again. They're out there *** long time and the longer the drive happens, the, the better chance they have of obviously scoring. All right. Thank you. Well, Todd.