What Kalen DeBoer said on Marty & McGee ahead of Iron Bowl

SEC Nation is in Tuscaloosa for Alabama’s home finale against Auburn, and Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer joined Marty & McGee on the UA campus on Saturday morning.

Below is everything DeBoer said during his 6-minute interview on the SEC Network.

DeBoer on the energy leading up to the Iron Bowl…

“It’s been awesome. We understand what this game means to everyone. Our guys have had a great week. The energy surrounding what we do every day and being around each other has just made it a lot of fun getting prepared for today.”

DeBoer on what he learned from last week that makes this team better now…

“I know that we’re gonna be resilient. Every time we’ve had something that maybe doesn’t go our way, we respond. They love the game. They love each other. They care about this place. And they have a lot of pride. As disappointed as we are about what happened last week, we know all we can do is control what we take from it and how we proceed.”

DeBoer on what he has learned about himself over the last few weeks…

“I feel like it’s more about being there for your team, being there for your staff, really helping them stay aligned in the direction we’re trying to go. We knew that there would be a process to this. Any transition, I understand what the expectations are, but it doesn’t always go exactly how you want it. We’d love to be undefeated right now and rolling, but what I have learned is that you just continue to stay the course and keep the guys at the priority and at the forefront. And they’ve done that for themselves and care so much about each other and continue to believe in what you’re doing.”

DeBoer on what’s at stake today…

“Three-hundred and sixty-five days of hearing it, right, one way or the other, or giving it. For us, there is a lot. When we think about the Iron Bowl and all the pride that surrounds it, but also just there’s possibilities that exist. We understand that. We really haven’t talked about that once we got past it on Sunday. That’s something we can’t control. But what we can control is what we do for the seniors here who are playing their last game here at Bryant-Denny. We are undefeated at home, and that’s something we take a lot of pride in. You can find a lot of reasons why this game means a lot, and just continue to build on what we feel inside is happening in all the positive ways.”

DeBoer on what it’s like when you’re out and about town on Iron Bowl week…

“I haven’t been out and about town. My car goes from the office to home, and that’s pretty much the entire season. But I know that our guys, they didn’t have class this week, but they’re out and about and (around) people in the restaurants and in the community. That’s actually a positive because they hear about the importance of the game. They’re reminded. And so when they have their time that they’re focused on football, they’re extra locked in.”

DeBoer on what his message will be at 2:20 p.m….

“We’ve covered a lot. We’ve talked a lot about the seniors, so this is about this game now. We’ve given them their chance to speak and say things, and we have 10 of them that are scholarship guys – three specialists, two on offense and five on defense. We’ve given them their time, whether it’s throughout the year or this week. But this is about this game. This is solely about this game. This is all it is. Anything else really doesn’t matter. It’s about being our best. We’ve talked about learning from everything that we’ve taken on this season and applying to this afternoon.”

DeBoer on Jalen Milroe now vs. Jalen Milroe he first started working with in the spring…

“He plays that position that takes on everything that comes your way. You probably get too much credit for some games, and you take on too much blame for others. What I will just say about him is he just is steady when it comes to the process. He doesn’t change whatever happens on what time he shows up at the facility or how hard he works, how bad he wants it. He just continues to stick to his process and keep fighting, keep believing. That’s what we’re gonna do in this program. But as the quarterback, he exudes all of that.”

DeBoer on what challenges Auburn presents…

“They’ve found some momentum here the last week or two and playing probably the best football that they’ve played all year. I think a lot of it revolves around takeaways or turnovers. And they’ve got threats across the board on offense, and from a defensive standpoint, they make you earn it. They’re very physical. And so just playing good … football is what the recipe is for success, not just in the SEC but in the entire country, and they’re doing that. 

“Every game is it’s own game. For us, the week before last week didn’t mean anything going into last week. Last week means nothing going into this week. It’s its own game. It’s new matchups. It’s home field. It’s all of those things that come into play. So for them, it’s the same as us. This is it’s own game. The next play is the most important play, and that’s all we’re focused on.”

DeBoer on how the South Dakota native is handling a cold Saturday in Tuscaloosa…

“I’m good. I mean, it’s all mental, right? It’s as cold for me as it is for you.”

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