Kalen DeBoer shares initial thoughts on pivotal matchup with LSU

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer sported a suit and spoke to reporters at the Harbert Center on Monday, rather than his typical setting inside the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. The Crimson Tide is on its second and final bye week of the season, and players have the first part of the week off before returning to the practice field on Wednesday.

When will No. 14 Alabama turn its attention to its matchup with 16th-ranked LSU?

“The staff will be working on that already with the game planning here today,” DeBoer said. “We’ll get into practice on Wednesday and Thursday. We do all have fall break at the end, so there’s no classes at the end of the week. But the guys get today away as far as the players are concerned, and we’ll get back in the weight room and do some stuff tomorrow.”

Alabama’s Nov. 9 trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana will be a pivotal game for both teams. The Tide and Tigers enter their final off weeks with 6-2 records, and another loss would end their playoff hopes for the 2024 season. Alabama is coming off a shutout victory over Missouri, while LSU lost its first conference game, a 38-23 road loss to Texas A&M in College Station.

The Tide has some momentum going into its bye week, and DeBoer was asked how significant that is ahead of what was described as a “make-or-break” game with the UA head coach.

“That’s the way we’re looking at every single one of them,” DeBoer said. “We’ve gotta be comfortable being uncomfortable. We preach that just as far as emphasizing strain when it comes to just what we do every day, no matter what the situation is. And now, we’re really in that moment. 

“I thought we passed the first test as far as it being in that kind of time of being uncomfortable, and the guys really honed in on what they can control and that was a lot of focus, all the work that’s needed to prepare to be great on Saturday. We took a step. Continue to be a work in progress. We’ll always be that way. I don’t care how good you are. 

“But I’m proud of the way that they have continued to respond each and every time in everything we ask them to do.”

Alabama currently has a 52.3 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. It first needs to beat an LSU team that has a 21.9 percent chance odds. The Week 11 matchup is an elimination game for the Tide and Tigers, so how do DeBoer and company keep the players level-headed and not too high for two weeks?

“Whether that is what it is or not, that’s how we’re gonna approach it even though we really don’t need to say too much in regards to that,” DeBoer said. “We’re just focusing on what we can do right now in the moment and really honing in on the kind of mindset that you’re only as good as your last play. You’re only as good as your last game. 

“So take the things and learn from the Missouri game, just like we would everything else. But really, just we’ve gotta go out and play our best game that we possibly can against LSU. And that goes back to the work that’s gotta be done between now and then. 

“The pressure is naturally gonna be there for every game. We can’t put added pressure on ourselves. We’ve just gotta go out and play, be at our best. That comes through confidence and in the prep that you put in.”

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $11.99! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!