You don't pull off 17-point comebacks in a win-or-go-home game without a strong culture. Alabama's come-from-behind win over Oklahoma on Friday night, on the road, no less, is proof positive that the locker room is bought in, and fully behind, Kalen DeBoer.
It's not too late for you to join, though the bandwagon is filling up fast on our way to Pasadena.
Alabama overcame an early 17-0 deficit to Oklahoma and outscored the Sooners 34-7 from there to pull out a 34-24 win and advance to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl against No. 1 Indiana on January 1st.
It was the Crimson Tide's 11th win of the season, solidifying a successful season for any reasonable fan. It's certainly a step forward in year two of the DeBoer era and provides further optimisim that the future in Tuscaloosa is bright.
According to defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, Alabama has a "culture of fighters," and that all comes from the top down, starting with the head coach.
“You don’t win those games without great culture,” Wommack said. “You have a great team culture, a bunch of fighters, a bunch of punchers. That wasn’t who we were a year ago. We learned how to do that, we fought to do that, we prepared in the offseason. ..."Now we have a culture of fighters. That starts with our head coach, who’s a puncher, and that rubs off on the rest of our coaching staff and our players. That’s how you win games like that.”
Kane Wommack credits Kalen DeBoer for Alabama's 'culture of fighters'
DeBoer's even-temperedness on the sideline has rubbed Alabama fans the wrong way. They got used to seeing Nick Saban ripping asses until he was blue in the face. That's not DeBoer's style, though he has shown plenty of fire this season.
But DeBoer's style is what led to Friday night's comeback.
He has a quiet confidence. He never panics. And his team has taken on that personality. Lesser teams would have folded.
With all the noise surrounding the program, coming off the blowout loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship, and the incessant rumors on DeBoer's future, the Crimson Tide laying down after the initial punch by Oklahoma wouldn't have been much of a surprise.
Instead, Alabama got off the mat and delivered devastating counterpunches to the Sooners to keep the season alive. It was a cultural win.
It was also a confidence-inspiring win heading into the Rose Bowl against Indiana. While the Hoosiers are justifiably favored, the thing about a group of fighters is that they always have a puncher's chance.