Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide is on a winning streak. After their season-opening loss against Florida State (38-14), they sealed back-to-back wins against UL Monroe (73-0) and Wisconsin (38-14). The spirits are high, and DeBoer’s boys returned to the practice field on Thursday, September 18, after soaking up three days off to relax and reset. Thanks to their first bye week of the season. But obviously, they can’t take things easy as their next game is against No. 5 Georgia. Already, DeBoer has given them an ultimatum. And here came the latest update on the Alabama players from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

On September 16, SEC insider Chris Marler tweeted what the head coach said about Alabama’s struggles on the road. “You gotta weather the storm. You gotta play four quarters of football. It’s gotta be on you and the guys around you. There’s gonna be adversity, and it’s about how you respond to adversity,” said DeBoer. After all, by now, DeBoer’s plate is piled up with the backlog from last season. And he wants to get it cleaned up by this season itself. So, is he going to find his boys in this scrubbing mission? Looks like Alabama players took DeBoer’s wake-up call seriously.  

On September 19, analyst Emily Grace McWhorter took Grubb’s interview. The coach said, “I saw guys out here yesterday working out, getting extra sets on the field, extra throws, stuff like that.” Making a connection with DeBoer’s rallying cry, Grubb said, “I certainly think the message was received, and I think it was authentic too. The guys know they have to continue to improve.”

The Crimson Tide players worked out in shells for two hours on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields. DeBoer’s boys’ practice started at 9:55 a.m. CT. All eyes will turn to Tuscaloosa on September 27, when Alabama and Georgia collide in a clash that could shape the SEC title race. As AL.com columnist Michael Casagrande said, “But the idea to test the football fate of a 17-year-old backfire would add another dimension to the latest installment of the SEC’s most consequential rivalry.”

Talking about DeBoer’s quarterback, Ty Simpson? The starter has shaken off some of the struggles to give Alabama a quarterback who can possibly lead UA to special things down the road. But DeBoer’s OC had accepted that he had not been “hard enough” on the quarterback before the Florida State game. And the result? Against the Seminoles, the quarterback went 23-of-43 with two touchdowns. But DeBoer’s quarterback did not take long to oomph up his game.

Against UL Monroe, Simpson went 17 of 17, a 100% completion rate, a rare feat, indeed. While DeBoer no longer is losing his sleep over his quarterback, one of his key units is keeping him awake at night.

Kalen DeBoer refuses to brush off special teams struggles

DeBoer does not seem to be happy with how the kickoff team is looking. When DeBoer attended the Hey Coach & The Kalen DeBoer Show, the host had to bring up the Crimson Tide’s latest dud moment against Wisconsin, the penalty that pushed the kickoff back. Going by the norm, it’s normally from the 35-yard line, but they had to kick from the 20. And what followed was obviously not sweet for DeBoer and his team.  

The head coach did not push the glaring issue in the Tuscaloosa camp under the table. Instead, he thought of putting them at the edge, “With our kickoff team, over the last year and a half, it’s just been really… One of our units that we’ve almost been bullish about… So it’s a good little wake-up call there for that unit.” While DeBoer was not there when Will Reichard, the 2019 placekicker, set the record, he did not forget to mention it to boost his players’ spirits.

Reichard, being the most reliable in Alabama history, finished with a career record for field goals, 50-plus yard field goals (10), and PATs. On that note, DeBoer said, “It’s a lot of little things that just a couple of people need to do better. You know, we want that ball kicked to a little different spot. And then there’s just a lot of pieces that play into when a ball is kicked that far downfield. There’s a lot of space for the return to get set up.”

Now that Alabama will be facing off against Georgia, are they seeing their quarterback, Gunner Stockton, as a threat? “With Gunner Stockton, already played some big games, whether it be at the end of the year last year or this last week. So, he’s got that experience,” accepted DeBoer. But Kirby Smart’s charmer also has his flaws. 

As Joel Klatt addressed the elephant in the room, “Georgia’s starting QB had to throw 34 passes against Austin Peay! If Julian Sayin or Dante Moore would’ve thrown 34 passes against Austin Peay, they would’ve scored 873,000 points.” So, even against cupcake opponents, the quarterback really had a hard time. The opportunity is there for Kalen DeBoer and the Tide to clamp down on their rival QB. The only question: can they finish the job?