'Our backs are to the wall, so we're going to fight' – Kalen DeBoer admits Alabama's season is on the line at LSU
The Alabama Crimson Tide are fresh off a much-needed bye week as they prepare for the home stretch of their season. From here on out, every game is a must-win for the Tide if they want any chance at the College Football Playoff. That starts Saturday night in Death Valley when the Tide take on […]
The Alabama Crimson Tide are fresh off a much-needed bye week as they prepare for the home stretch of their season.
From here on out, every game is a must-win for the Tide if they want any chance at the College Football Playoff.
That starts Saturday night in Death Valley when the Tide take on the LSU Tigers in a matchup that all but ends one team's chances at the postseason.
Tide in A Must-Win Scenario
You saw our response, I think, with the Missouri game," said DeBoer when asked if LSU was a must win scenario. "That was really the case there. I say that, and all of a sudden you start thinking, 'why wasn't that the case with Tennessee?' Well, it was. That's just more experiences that you have together, backs to the wall, there's different things that different teams respond well to. At least for the first test, and Missouri was at home, we got off to a fast start defensively, did a nice job there and just continued to apply pressure."
For the first time all year, the Tide came out and put it on an opponent from Jump Street when facing the Missouri Tigers before their bye. The team played with an emphasis that was missing against Tennessee and certainly against Vanderbilt after the massive Georgia win.
"They [the team] want to make something big of this season, and it's important through the action that you see on the practice field, you see it in the way they're going about their business off the field, just the details that they really continue to hone in on, added DeBoer. "It's just a matter of time, right? As the season goes on you become more comfortable with what we're doing, whether it's our scheme or just the routine, or each other. A lot of our youth is rising up and continuing to gain more and more confidence, mixed in with the veterans that continue to have great leadership. I like where we're at."
Some Tide fans are probably thinking, "Ok sounds great, but this is a case of too little too late," as the team had two losses before November for the first time in years, even if the Tide ranks 11th in the latest AP Poll, one slot inside of the 12 team playoff.
"Unfortunately, we have less wiggle room, and our backs are to the wall, so we're going to fight," added DeBoer. "Each and every day we're going to fight, scratch and claw like you've never seen, and that continues on this week."
Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer says discipline issues sometimes stem from ‘guys just trying so hard’
An odd way to frame things.
