Kalen DeBoer explains Alabama players have 'more familiarity' with facing Georgia than coaching staff
There’s no shortage of experience on the Alabama football coaching staff these days, from Kalen DeBoer on down. But the staff isn’t not entirely the most experienced rolling through the SEC.
So with Georgia visiting Tuscaloosa on Sept. 28, following a week off for the Crimson Tide, DeBoer and Co. are doing plenty to make sure they’re familiar with their foe. One leg up, though? The players he inherited are plenty familiar.
“So we know we’re going to face a well-rounded football team, one that is going to come into our place and it’s going to be a great contest and for our guys, there’s a lot of familiarity,” DeBoer said on his weekly coaches show. “More familiarity, probably, for our players, than there is for our coaches. But, we’re getting that figured out whether it was prep that we did this summer or work that was done now this week.”
Even though Georgia most recently played a bit of a lethargic offensive game against Kentucky, DeBoer knows that Sept. 28 will be a big, big challenge.
“I don’t think I look at that game and feel like — I take it that Kentucky can do some pretty good things, too. And that’s the way I look at it,” DeBoer said.
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In just the last three seasons, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have met three times, twice in the postseason. And Alabama has gotten the better of the Bulldogs in two of three contests, only falling short in the national championship game in 2022.
And the 2023 Crimson Tide team pulled off a win over the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, a key win that helped get Alabama into the College Football Playoff. When the Bulldogs come back to Bryant-Denny Stadium in late September, DeBoer knows it will be time to lock in.
“It’s going to be a great game, one that I know we’re excited about,” DeBoer said. “This is why you come to Alabama, to be part of a great atmosphere and that’s what we’ll have here, coming up.”
Alabama is getting some time to get a key defenders healthy
Alabama left Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday with their first road win of the DeBoer era. Defatting Wisconsin in a dominant 42-10 win that pushes their record to 3-0 on the season heading into their bye week.
But the Crimson Tide did not leave their matchup against the Badgers healthy, with several players suffering injuries, including two starters on the defense. As DeBoer gave an injury update on several Alabama players during his press conference on Monday.
“Malachi Moore got kind of hit to the head, blow to the head. He popped up and ran off the field. But I also know that there’s a protocol we kind of go through it. So a lot of positive signs there with him already here in his first couple of days. We just got to go through that progression that needs to be done when it comes to those type of injuries.”
Moore entered concussion protocol after some friendly fire took place in the third quarter of Saturday’s game. Colliding with teammate Keon Sabb on a tackle and heading to the medical tent followed by a one-way trip to the locker room. A tough loss for the Crimson Tide with Moore being a fifth-year senior and team captain who posted seven tackles and a forced fumble on Saturday before leaving the game.
Alabama also lost starting linebacker Qua Russaw earlier in the game, who had to be helped off the field after sustaining what appeared to be an ankle injury.
“Qua, with the evaluation of him, I think the bye week is huge,” DeBoer said. “I think he probably, later in the week, will be able to do some things for us and we’ll certainly be careful with him. We don’t want to have any setbacks. But I would feel like it’s a positive progression for him already here, just the last couple days.”