Kalen DeBoer on Alabama players' mindset ahead of Tennessee: 'Their intensity is there'

Wednesday’s Hey Coach with Kalen DeBoer, before a road game at Tennessee, featured some of the most pointed questions for the Alabama head coach this season. From comments about the defensive line “being pushed around” to the defensive backs leaving receivers “wide open,” Crimson Tide fans expressed a desire to see improvement in Week 8.

One caller asked DeBoer about the team’s mindset entering the Third Saturday in October.

“I think a lot is always misunderstood about our players and what their mindset is,” DeBoer said. “I think there was great intensity by our players going in. I think a lot of it always comes down to execution, and when you see explosive plays and you see plays being made, the excitement that comes from that, I think you always feel like, ‘Oh, the intensity is there.’ When the plays aren’t being made, there’s some frustration that can sink in. 

“And that’s what you’re always trying to do is trying to just push that out of your mind, trying to train yourself and as a team, trust and believe and be excited about going and making the next play. And so to me, the preparation is always what leads to a day on Saturday, where that intensity is where you want it.”

Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) is 1-1 in the month of October after a road loss to Vanderbilt and a win at home over South Carolina. The Gamecocks, however, had the ball in the final minute with a chance to win on the road in Tuscaloosa before a Domani Jackson interception. 

Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) is in a similar boat, having lost on the road against Arkansas and needing overtime to defeat Florida last week in Knoxville. The Vols have struggled on offense leading up to the rivalry game against Alabama, but Neyland Stadium will be rocking when the Tide rolls into town for DeBoer’s first experience with the Third Saturday in October.

Alabama has practiced with crowd noise to prepare for the raucous road environment it will play in on Saturday (2:45 p.m. CT) while also looking forward to the hostile Knoxville crowd.

“They’re fired up to go into an environment that we know is gonna be a great atmosphere,” DeBoer said. “It’s gonna be loud. I know we’ll travel, but really with the way we gotta look at it, it’s us versus the whole stadium. 

“You love playing in Bryant-Denny and that’s exciting and you want the 100,000 to your side. But there’s something about also going to other places when, you know, everyone is rooting against you, too.”

Alabama completed its third, full practice of the week earlier on Thursday morning. DeBoer has not had a chance to speak to reporters, or restless fans, since, but on Wednesday evening at Baumhower’s Victory Grille, he shared a positive assessment of the work week.

“They’ve had a great week,” DeBoer said. “Their intensity is there, and just the first two days of practice, and we’ve still got some more left, is what you would all hoped and what you’d be proud of.”

Alabama is coming off its fifth win of the fall and is one victory away from bowl eligibility. But the postseason seems somewhat out of reach after back-to-back lackluster showings. A win is a win, but some feel better than others. The win over South Carolina was not one of them, and the Tide will look to learn from the last two games ahead of a ranked matchup.

“Every win is important,” DeBoer said. “You got to celebrate it to some extent, but you also know that you have wins that you’re more happy with and some you’re not. There’s a lot of great things we can take from it. 

“I think our competitiveness, our competitive stamina has been tested in a great way with our football team, having to play these games late. Obviously, there’s some things we can do better earlier to separate ourselves and not make it come down to what it was, for example, on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of moments that we can continue to go through together and learn from.”

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