Just a week ago, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was riding high. Fresh off an impressive 41-34 victory over then-No. 2 Georgia, the Crimson Tide had climbed to the top of the rankings, entering their Week 5 matchup against Vanderbilt as the nation’s new No. 1 team.
But in a shocking turn of events, Alabama fell to unranked Vanderbilt on Saturday in a game where the Commodores never trailed.
The enormous upset marked the first time in 40 years that Vanderbilt topped the Tide.
The loss has left fans and analysts alike questioning the state of the program under DeBoer.
Predictably, the upset has sent shockwaves through Tuscaloosa, and ESPN’s Paul Finebaum didn’t hold back in his criticism.
“Well, we saw a new head coach in Alabama named Kalen DeBoer, who, after all the praise he got here last week, showed that the Nick Saban era is over, because Nick Saban would have never lost that game,” Finebaum said on “The Matt Barrie Show.”
“This is the worst loss I have ever seen by a quality Alabama team. I’ve seen bad Alabama teams lose – but I’ve never seen a great Alabama team lose like this, and it is sending shockwaves through the Alabama ecosystem right now.”
All things considered, some are calling the loss to Vanderbilt the worst in program history. Perhaps that is a bit on an exaggeration. Perhaps not.
Regardless, the honeymoon for DeBoer in Tuscaloosa is clearly over.
Having said that, let’s not make the shocking loss out to be completely DeBoer’s fault. Yes, he’s the head coach so the buck will always stop with him. However, plenty of the players – as well as defensive coordinator Kane Wommack – deserve a significant share of the blame.
Still, the numbers don’t help DeBoer’s case.
During Nick Saban’s legendary 17-year reign, Alabama had an incredible 123-4 record against unranked oponents. DeBoer, on the other hand, already has one of those slip-ups on his resume – and it’s to Vanderbilt of all teams.
DeBoer’s win over Georgia seemed poised to be a signature moment, but it was quickly washed away by the unacceptable loss in Nashville.
Finebaum acknowledged the stark contrast: “For all the good that we felt a week ago, the questions that were lingering deep in the crevices of Alabama fans’ minds are starting to pop up.
“And what makes it even worse is Alabama has to play again this week against a fading South Carolina team. But the week after, it’s against Tennessee.”
Sure enough, the road won’t get too much easier for Alabama. This week, they face a struggling South Carolina team, but looming in two weeks is a showdown against a fierce Vols squad. (Think there will be points scored in that one?)
What are your thoughts on DeBoer? … Was Alabama’s culture ruined by the inexplicable loss to Vandy???