Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer Sends Clear Message Before Florida State

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In Week 1 last season, the Alabama Crimson Tide were dealt one of their most embarrassing losses in recent memory, falling to the Florida State Seminoles by a score of 31-17 on the road.

The defeat consequently put head coach Kalen DeBoer in the crosshairs, especially considering the prior campaign ended in a loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

There were immediate calls for DeBoer's firing, both among Alabama fans and the national media. Of course, the Crimson Tide then responded with eight straight wins to cool the narrative.

Now, Alabama is preparing to face Florida State again here in Week 3, this time in Tuscaloosa. You would certainly expect revenge to be on the minds of the Tide.

"I know there's a lot of guys, including our staff, that certainly know what it felt like last year walking off that football field," DeBoer told reporters.

However, DeBoer wants to ensure that his team keeps a level head and concerns itself more with what it needs to do to improve rather than just avenging last season's loss.

"I want it to be about us and our improvement in this season as far as what it truly is inward on u," DeBoer added.

Essentially, DeBoer doesn't want this Saturday to be about revenge. He wants it to be about the process he discussed before the campaign began, which involves getting better each and every week.

Alabama absolutely should win this game. It is the better team than Florida State, and it isn't particularly close.

The Seminoles are 1-1, having opened their season with a loss to SMU before following up with a win over New Mexico State this past weekend.

Very few actually expect Florida State to actually be anything of significance this season, so the Crimson Tide should come away with a convincing victory here. Especially at home.

But if Alabama becomes too focused on getting payback, it could ultimately derail what the team hopes to achieve on Saturday afternoon.

We'll see if the Crimson Tide are able to put together an even performance and still avenge last year's defeat in the process … but without zeroing in on the revenge aspect.

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