What Kalen DeBoer said at halftime about Alabama football comeback vs OU
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Midway through the second quarter of its College Football Playoff first-round matchup vs Oklahoma, it looked like Alabama football had dug itself into a hole that it couldn’t get out of. At halftime, the Crimson Tide and Oklahoma stood tied at 17 points.
When Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer spoke with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe before heading into the locker room, he wasn’t the fired-up version of himself that has been seen slapping the goalpost while leading his team into battle.
Instead, DeBoer’s comments on the momentum-shifting plays that had just taken place moments before were brief, but determined.
DeBoer was asked about what unleashed the Crimson Tide’s offense, but he didn’t name Tim Keenan III, who had a blocked punt to set up a scoring drive, or Zabien Brown, who made his second house call of the season to tie the game with an interception return for a score.
He kept it simple.
“We just made some plays,” DeBoer said.
Rather than giving glowing reviews of what went right as halftime neared, DeBoer honed in what went wrong to give Oklahoma a 17-0 lead with less than 11 minutes to go in the second quarter.
“We’ve got some passes that could be caught. You can throw a little bit better here and there,” DeBoer continued.
He credited Alabama’s late success with players “getting comfortable with the speed of everything.”
DeBoer was also asked what was going through his mind targeting a freshman when going for it on fourth down when Alabama was scoreless. Despite Lotzeir Brooks’ diving effort to cross the goal line for 10 yards and score, he didn’t single the wide receiver out by name, either.
“In that moment, you’ve got to go with your gut,” DeBoer said. “We’ve been aggressive all year in those moments, and you guys went and made a play. You’ve got to trust them.”
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What Kalen DeBoer said at halftime of Alabama football vs Oklahoma
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