Kalen DeBoer addresses Jalen Milroe's tackling effort on pick-six

Kalen DeBoer addressed a perceived lack of effort from Jalen Milroe on his pick-six this past Saturday during his post-game press conference.

It was a frustrating night all around for the Alabama quarterback. He only completed 11-of-26 passes for 164 yards, throwing three interceptions, the most costly one coming when Kip Lewis returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. That put Oklahoma up 24-3, and the Sooners never looked back.

Afterwards, DeBoer made his feelings known following Milroe’s disappointing tackle-attempt on the pick-six, and his play as a whole in Week 13. He believes it wasn’t as bad as the numbers made it seem, and his quarterback can bounce back from the disastrous performance.

“Stepping back, I just feel like, early in the game, there were some things — drops, flat-out drops, balls we lost in the lights. Just different, uncharacteristic things. Weird things that happened. I thought he was actually putting the ball where he needed to, we just needed to help him out a little bit,” DeBoer said, regarding Milroe’s performance. “The screen pass, they jump it, and you have to assume that those blocks are going to happen, and you’re reading a different defender. But then there’s the pick-six that goes the other way. I don’t know if he just didn’t see him, or predetermined things, but you know, there’s still a lot of game left, and I felt like a lot of things he was doing, he was fighting and battling, and doing a lot of things well for our football team. We just all needed to be a little better.

“So, I thought he kept battling. I looked in his eyes and you know, he’s come a long way, all season long, and the way he wants to go out there and keep leading the team. Guys keep fighting for him, so that’s just pretty much what I shared with him. Have no regrets, go out there and keep slinging.”

Alas, Alabama’s shot at the College Football Playoff may be hanging on by a thread, but Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide can still finish strong in 2024. They have Auburn in the Iron Bowl this weekend, and they must avoid a loss at all costs.