KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Kalen DeBoer didn’t sugarcoat what comes next for Alabama football after its road loss to Tennessee.
“It’s going to be really uncomfortable,” DeBoer said.
Alabama has not faced this in the DeBoer era. The Crimson Tide has not faced back-to-back losses in 14 seasons when Alabama ended the 2013 campaign with an Iron Bowl loss to Auburn and a Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma. Alabama has not faced back-to-back regular-season losses since 2007 when the Crimson Tide lost four straight to LSU, Mississippi State, Louisiana Monroe and Auburn.
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DeBoer, even, has never faced this, last losing back-to-back games as Washington’s coach in 2022 when the Huskies lost at UCLA and at Arizona State.
But DeBoer didn’t see a team that cowered.
“It’s not like I felt like they didn’t practice,” DeBoer said. “I mean, we had a lot of motivation to come back and have a great week and prepare for this week. But, moving forward, it’s going to be even more of another level of uncomfortable. A lot of guys haven’t been through last year or the last two. I know they feel it. Our older guys had mentioned that, even weeks ago, just what it’s going to be like in this stretch. The key is you just hone in on one game. Don’t look at the big picture. One game, and believe that we have a team that can get it done.”
So what’s next? What’s the message as Alabama turns its attention to Texas A&M?
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“Just continue to believe that we’re going to find a way,” DeBoer said. “We got to pick up and come to work.”
Alabama will face Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24 on ABC.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What’s next for Alabama after Tennessee loss? Kalen DeBoer shares mindset
