Ryan Grubb Fires Back At Alabama Football Fans After Slow Start
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Alabama’s offense stumbled out of the gate again on Saturday, going three-and-out on each of its first two drives while Florida State scored on three of its first four possessions. As the boos rained down on a lightning-delayed afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb noticed, and he wasn’t in a forgiving mood about it two days later.
Grubb addressed the crowd’s reaction to Alabama’s shaky start during his Monday press conference, and he didn’t sugarcoat how he felt about the fans who turned on the team early.
What Grubb Actually Said
Speaking to reporters ahead of South Carolina week, Grubb made it clear he was far more impressed with his players than with the fans who booed them off a strong start.
“I was proud of the guys, and they just didn’t have any quit,” Grubb said. “They’re a really resilient group, I’m super proud of that. We had, I would say, had some boo birds.”
He didn’t stop there.
“I told the guys, I said, ‘Shoot, guys. If you’d have quit as fast as some of your fans, s— we wouldn’t have won that game.'”
Grubb pointed to the age of his players as validation for how they responded.
“So, I was proud of them. For a bunch of 19-year-olds to go out there and just 21-6 and not flinch, I was fired up.”
DeBoer Takes the Opposite Approach
While Grubb aimed his frustration at the crowd, head coach Kalen DeBoer took a noticeably different tone following the 50-36 win, choosing instead to praise the fans who stuck around through a nearly six-hour weather-delayed afternoon.
“First, I gotta say how much I appreciate, and our team appreciates our fans,” DeBoer said. “2:45 kickoff, and we’re, what, almost six hours later, and they’re out there bringing energy. I felt like it had an impact; it was something our guys felt.”
DeBoer acknowledged the flip side of that equation, too.
“Obviously, we gotta make plays and do things to give something for the fans to cheer about,” he said. “But long day, it went from heat to rain or lightning, I guess, and I just appreciate you guys so much as a fan base.”
The Offense Found Itself — Eventually
Grubb’s frustration wasn’t just about fan reaction; it was rooted in an offense that has now opened up slowly in back-to-back games. But Saturday’s response was hard to argue with. After the two early punts, Alabama scored on nine consecutive drives, six of them touchdowns, finishing with 567 total yards, including 227 rushing yards in the second half alone.
Grubb broke down just how close the offense actually was to avoiding the slow start altogether, pointing to two specific plays that stalled early drives.
“It’s probably not quite as far off as everybody thinks,” Grubb said. “Our first third down — I think it was 3rd and 3 — we just barely slide out of a down block on a zero, and honestly, we had a big crease there, had we accomplished that.”
The second missed opportunity came on the next series, involving running back Lotzeir Brooks.
“[Lotzeir Brooks] doesn’t quite run out of the break the way Keelon thought he was going to. There’s a ton of space on the sideline open there. So, we ended up about a yard short on that one. And after that, they went on nine straight scoring drives.”
Quarterback Keelon Russell Settled In Quickly
Grubb also credited quarterback Keelon Russell for how he managed the offense once it found its rhythm, particularly in the red zone.
“We had a good plan as far as for Keelon to be able to get him started simple, and get the run game going as quick as we could,” Grubb said. “And I thought Keelon settled into the game plan really quickly, and just did a nice job managing things in the red zone, as well.”
Looking Ahead to South Carolina
With Alabama moving to 3-0, Grubb made clear the slow starts haven’t gone unnoticed internally, even if the results have worked out so far.
“I know there’s a lot of talk out there about slow starts and things like that,” Grubb said. “I think, obviously, we’re taking some really calculated measures in practice to help continue to address that.”
Whether those adjustments show up against South Carolina will go a long way toward determining if Saturday’s slow start was a fluke — or a pattern Alabama needs to solve before conference play gets tougher.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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