Repeatedly on Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide failed to succeed against two Tennessee players. Alabama struggled to tackle Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop and struggled to cover Tennessee wideout Braylon Staley. Bishop rushed for 123 yards and Staley caught 10 passes.
Add to those two deficiencies, until the 4th quarter, Alabama was ineffective running the football. When Daniel Hill entered the game at 1:43 of the 3rd quarter, Crimson Tide running backs, Jam Miller and Kevin Riley, had produced limited yardage. The pair finished with 13 yards from 15 carries. Hill made 34 yards on seven carries and was instrumental in the win. Otherwise, Alabama's main rushing offense was Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams, who produced 65 yards on five carries.
Why these Alabama Crimson Tide details matter
All of Alabama's deficiencies detailed above would have resulted in a loss for most teams. Not only did the Alabama Crimson Tide not lose, but Alabama beat a pretty good Tennessee team by three scores. Other positive stats show how Alabama won handily over the Vols. What statistics cannot show is a team's character, the kind of mindset it maintains in preparation, and the collective mental strength of a team in games.
Alabama football fans have been trying to figure out the Crimson Tide for the last 22 months. What about Kalen DeBoer? Can a Crimson Tide team win championships without Nick Saban? After Alabama's sixth straight win on Saturday night, it's time to quit worrying about Kalen DeBoer. Alabama may or may not become college football's best team this season. But what DeBoer and his staff have accomplished after the debacle against FSU is nothing short of exceptional.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is not a finished product. To truly contend for championships this season, Alabama must improve in key areas. Already, DeBoer and his staff have built a team that shows signs of becoming something special. The kind of team that is very hard to beat in a close game, because it is undeterred by adversity.
Saturday night, Blake Toppmeyer wrote for USA Today, "Kalen DeBoer is college football's top big-game coach." The proof for Toppmeyer's statement is DeBoer's 19-3 career record against ranked opponents.
While the Alabama Crimson Tide has not proven itself in the Kalen DeBoer Era, it has shown itself to be a contender. Now, as DeBoer says, "just keep the pedal down".