On Saturday, Alabama football experienced one of the most surprising losses in recent college football history, falling to the Vanderbilt Commodores just a week after defeating second-ranked Georgia. Quarterback Jalen Milroe maintained a calm demeanor following the defeat, but Alabama fans were less forgiving, as this marked the team’s first loss to an unranked opponent in nearly two decades.
It was definitely a reality check for newly appointed head coach Kalen DeBoer, who quickly lost the goodwill he had earned with last week’s impressive victory over Georgia by falling to Vanderbilt, often seen as a symbol of ineptitude in the SEC.
The Crimson Tide’s loss was so surprising that ESPN college football insider Paul Finebaum felt compelled to weigh in on DeBoer, comparing him to former head coach Nick Saban during an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show, as reported by Nick Kosko of On3 Sports.
“Well, we saw a new head coach in Alabama named Kalen DeBoer, who, after all the praise he received last week, demonstrated that the Nick Saban era is over, because Nick Saban would have never lost that game,” Finebaum stated.
“And people talk about the Louisiana-Monroe game, you know, (Saban) inherited a 6-7 team. This is the worst loss I have ever seen by a quality Alabama team,” said Finebaum. “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.”
Finebaum is referencing a surprising loss to Louisiana-Monroe that Saban experienced during his first season as Alabama’s head coach, before the team’s dynastic success began.
There really isn’t a precedent for how to respond in Tuscaloosa after a loss like the one Alabama football faced on Sunday, as the Tide rarely experienced such defeats under head coach Nick Saban.
That said, with the new 12-team expanded playoff system, Alabama’s season is far from over, and the team has plenty of chances to show that the loss to Vanderbilt was just a minor setback.
Nonetheless, it was shocking to see Alabama’s roster of four- and five-star defensive players struggle against Vanderbilt’s motley crew of offensive talent, and it likely won’t be a pleasant experience in the Crimson Tide’s film room this week.
Leave a Reply