Something has shifted with Kalen DeBoer — and Alabama players are following

The last two weeks, Kalen DeBoer has looked like a brand new man on the sideline. It's not a coincidence that his Alabama team has looked like a brand new football team over the last two weeks from the squad that made the trip to Tallahassee.

Alabama fans have waited a year for DeBoer to show fire on the sideline. They've begged for him to be animated, to yell at the officials, to chew out players. Perhaps his now patented black hoodie has turned out a new side of him: Dark DeBoer. It's a look - and an attitude - that's spreading through his locker room.

Alabama jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. Ty Simpson led an excellent two-minute drive before the half, capped off by a touchdown toss to Isaiah Horton to send the Crimson Tide to the locker room with a 21-0 lead. If you expected DeBoer to rest on his laurels, think again. His message in his halftime interview was simple, yet effective: "Don't let up. No Mercy."

His message was heeded. On the first play of the second half, Alabama produced an explosive 75-yard touchdown to Ryan Williams on a perfectly executed trick play to push the lead to 28-0. A Wisconsin touchdown on the ensuing kickoff return did little to halt the Tide's momentum. Alabama went back down the field, with Simpson hitting Williams again for a touchdown to push the lead to 35-7.

Late in the fourth quarter, with Alabama leading 38-14, cameras caught DeBoer ripping into redshirt freshman WR Rico Scott after Alabama failed to convert a third and six to be able to finish the game with the ball in their hands:

Kalen DeBoer didn't seem fully satisfied with Alabama's performance vs. Wisconsin

DeBoer was happy with Alabama's performance against Wisconsin, but far from fully satisfied.

After back-to-back touchdown drives on explosive plays to open the second half, Alabama's offense didn't muster much the rest of the way. A Williams drop in the endzone took a touchdown off the board. A drop by freshman Lotzeir Brooks prevented a third-down conversion and a big play. The Tide got a little sloppy, mustering only a single Conor Talty field goal the rest of the way.

"Would love to see us do a much better job in the fourth quarter, just finishing," said DeBoer. "Few drops there our guys don't make."

Alabama will head into the first of its two bye weeks at 2-1. It's not the 3-0 Tide fans hoped for, particularly with Georgia on the horizon on the other side of the bye. But the loss at Florida State was eye-opening for the coaching staff and the team. Alabama looks like a completely different team. A lot of that is because Kalen DeBoer looks like a completely different coach.

His focus heading into the bye week is as simple, yet poignant, as his halftime interview:

"Don't let off the gas."