Kalen DeBoer channeled his inner-Nick Saban with fourth quarter sideline fire

Alabama football fans have been waiting to see some fire from head coach Kalen DeBoer on the sidelines this season. Unlike Nick Saban, DeBoer is more even-tempered and rarely lets his emotions get the best of him.

That was decidedly not the case on Saturday afternoon in Alabama's 34-0 win over Missouri. Throughout te game, DeBoer was more antimated on the sideline than we'd seen. He was in the ears of the refs throughout a game that was poorly officiated, something that has become a theme in the SEC.

But DeBoer was also unafraid of getting after his players. The most noteworthy moment occurred in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand. Alabama had just put together a goal line stand to keep Missouri out of the endzone, which ultimately preserved its first shutout of an SEC opponent since 2020.

Following a 60+ yard run by Richard Young, TV cameras caught DeBoer ripping into reserve OL Roq Montgomery.

Saban was famous for never being satisfied and ripping his players for mental mitakes even during blowouts. Saban was much more even-keeled in close games and when Alabama was behind, something DeBoer has also shown. But the fire from DeBoer in the fourth quarter was straight out of the Saban playbook.

DeBoer coached with a sense of urgency today, sensing how important this game was, not just for Alabama to win, but for his team to get back to playing to a standard and build momentum going into the bye week before a massive road game at LSU in two weeks that could decide the Crimson Tide's playoff fate.

Players feed off of the energy of their coaches, and Alabama played with a sense of urgency on Saturday afternoon.

That fire from the head coach will be well received by fans, showing that DeBoer is beginning to understand the weight of the Alabama job and what it's going to take to have success in Tuscaloosa.