Alabama’s football team won the closest victory in football history on Saturday, defeating South Florida 42-16 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide played poorly for most of the game and only pulled away late in the fourth quarter on the night the field was named after Nick Saban.
Many of the problems were due to penalties and poor offensive play by Alabama. The Crimson Tide will be back in action next week at Wisconsin.
After the game, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer will speak with local reporters in Tuscaloosa. Follow here for live updates as DeBoer steps up to the microphone.
— DeBoer begins by tipping his hat to USF. He says there is a list of things the Crimson Tide needs to fix going forward. He says he told the team in the locker room to learn lessons from what went well toward the end of the game.
— Says Alabama players need to do a better job of preventing fumbles. Says he’s excited for the challenge ahead and that teams “need games like this.”
— Asked what the Tide does in practice to avoid turnovers. DeBoer says UA works hard on it on Tuesdays. He says it’s an emphasis every week and that players need to learn to put the ball away better on big plays.
— Asked why Elijah Pritchett will play late. DeBoer says Tide tried to rest him because of a minor injury. Says Alabama should be in better shape for next week’s game in Madison.
— The question is what he saw when the game turned in the Tide’s favor. He says Alabama needs to learn its lesson to avoid penalties. He attributes the turnaround to Alabama’s less carelessness. He says the Tide didn’t have to sustain offense last week against Western Kentucky and that will be crucial going forward.
– When asked how often he argues with the referees. He said he understands when games are ruled close and he was just trying to make sure everyone was held accountable. He admits most of the decisions were correct.
— DeBoer is asked about Jam Miller’s passion as a running back. He says Miller is usually quiet but turns it on in crucial moments of the game. He praises Miller’s running ability, especially his late touchdown.
– Asked about young players like Ryan Williams and Jaylen Mbakwe making big plays late. Says Alabama’s foundation is older players who have been in the program. Says he was excited by Jalen Milroe’s confidence when he made a big throw to Williams that led to a touchdown. Also praises Mbakwe’s confidence.
– Asked about Tyler Booker’s play as a left tackle and whether not using him as a guard would limit Alabama in the run game. He says Alabama has disagreed on certain things, but Booker has an impact wherever he plays and he is confident in Booker’s ability as a tackle.
– Says Cole Adams suffered an arm injury and Alabama will have to evaluate that going forward.
– Asked what a solid finish says about the Crimson Tide. Says he’ll never question Alabama’s will. Says there were players who tried hard to make plays, sometimes too hard. Says Alabama should make less use of that and more just “stay in the fight.” Says he’s proud of recent performance.
