Under Nick Saban, Alabama Football usually responded very well to losses and general doubt surrounding the program. When it had something it needed to prove, a Saban-coached team was typically at its best.
Now, we get to see if Kalen DeBoer can carry that torch. Granted, DeBoer’s first loss in Tuscaloosa was unlike any Saban ever took as a national title contender. Not long after a 4-0 start that included a win over Georgia and had DeBoer in everyone’s good graces, a loss to Vanderbilt turned that perception on its head.
In the week since, everything about DeBoer’s program has been called into question, all the way down to his game day attire. Whether or not his wardrobe choices make a difference doesn’t really matter; the point is that the trust and goodwill he had built up with the fan base evaporated almost overnight.
Tomorrow’s game against South Carolina is the first opportunity to regain some of that trust. Fans will be playing close attention not only to the end result and the margin, but the methodology of getting to that result. How Alabama looks, in terms of energy, execution, and focus will be studied intensely, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Last season, though under completely different circumstances, Alabama took an early-season SEC loss and responded admirably. The next time the Tide took the field, it played one of its best defensive games of the season in a 24-10 win over Ole Miss.
It held Lane Kiffin’s high-powered offense to just 301 yards, including just 56 on the ground at a clip of 1.9 yards per carry. The Bama defense also held the Rebels to 3-14 on third down opportunities, sacked Jaxson Dart four times, and picked him off once.
Going forward from this performance, the Alabama defense was a confident unit and a strength of the team.
A potential statement game for the Alabama defense
The 2024 iteration of the South Carolina Gamecocks isn’t necessarily an offensive juggernaut. Regardless, the Alabama defense is in desperate need of a “get right” game. A dominant showing, particularly from the front seven, could begin to set the tone for this unit going forward.
South Carolina wields a solid rushing attack, spearheaded by former Arkansas running back Rocket Sanders and a pair of electric quarterbacks in LaNorris Sellers and Auburn transfer Robby Ashford. All three are physical ball-carriers at around 230 pounds, and all three can score from distance. Sanders and Sellers both delivered touchdown runs of 65+ yards against LSU earlier this season.
It goes without saying that the defense Alabama has played in its last six quarters of football won’t get the job done. If the symptoms that it has shown develop into long-term issues, this will be a very long season. I still think this Bama defense has a lot of potential, and this matchup against South Carolina could be a statement game.
Alabama still has all of its goals in front of it, just with a lot less room for error. I expect the Crimson Tide to re-establish the momentum it had in September and show that it is still among the best teams in the nation.