Kalen DeBoer speaks of ‘fine line’ between Alabama, greatness

Pasadena, California– alabama crimson tide Coach Kalen DeBoer said there is “a fine line” between his team’s historic performance 38-3 The loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in the Rose Bowl and where he wants to be.

“It may not feel like it when you’re in the moment right now and what happened today, but I can tell you it’s somewhere between being here and being on top,” DeBoer said. “We have to work, you have to believe, you have to be consistent, you have to have discipline and we will get back to work and start all over again.”

The 35-point loss was the most lopsided postseason loss in Alabama history, previous only to a 32-point loss to Nebraska in the 1972 Orange Bowl. It was the first time since 1998 that Alabama trailed by 35 points in any game.

“Start from scratch by getting the people around you — the right people — and committing to doing something. Putting a common goal together and the activities that follow,” said DeBoer, who is 19-8 in the two seasons since replacing Nick Saban.

DeBoer credited Indiana for the way he handled the Tide and praised both quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.

“He led with a trigger man, made throws, made third-down conversions, just kept them on the football field,” DeBoer said. “They continued to wear us out with the run game at the end of the game. They just perform at a high level, and everybody feeds off each other on both sides of the ball. It’s not just one thing.”

“You have to appreciate Coach Cignetti and what he’s done and obviously all of them together.”

receiver jermay bernardJoe transferred from Washington to Alabama with DeBoer, putting the responsibility on the players.

“Our coaches did a great job of laying out a great game plan for us,” he said. “But it depends on us being able to execute it. And we didn’t execute it to the best of our abilities. [Indiana] “We took full advantage of whatever mistakes we made.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Indiana took a 3–0 lead early in the second quarter, after which DeBoer felt pressure to match the Hoosiers’ opening score. This led to a failed decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Alabama 34-yard line, which set up Indiana with a short field followed by a quick touchdown.

“It felt like it was going to be one of those games where you have to take advantage of possessions,” DeBoer said. “Obviously, when you miss, it’s the wrong decision.”

The tide never recovered.