Kalen DeBoer got his first victory as Alabama’s head coach over a top-tier conference opponent.
He took down Kirby Smart and Georgia in Saturday’s showdown on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Smart continues to struggle to beat the Crimson Tide consistently; however, a former Tide wide receiver saw a concern after a 41-34 victory.
Gary Cosby Jr. – USA Today Sports
Kalen DeBoer got his first victory as Alabama’s head coach over a top-tier conference opponent.
He took down Kirby Smart and Georgia in Saturday’s showdown on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Smart continues to struggle to beat the Crimson Tide consistently; however, a former Tide wide receiver saw a concern after a 41-34 victory.
RELATED: Alabama QB Jalen Milroe pays homage to Jalen Hurts after win over Georgia
Alabama jumped out to a 30-7 lead on the Bulldogs, but it let Georgia back into the game. It was a matchup headed toward a blowout that became an instant classic on ABC. The fans did their job and players were locked in, but Marquis Maze — a former two-time BCS National Champion (2009, 2011) — felt the coaches could have done more. He said the standard remains in Tuscaloosa, but the coaches “let off the gas after halftime.” Maze feels “lack of adjustments” allowed the ‘Dawgs an opportunity.
This will be a learning experience for DeBoer and his staff moving forward.
Alabama improves to 4-0, but it has to compete for 60 minutes and constantly attack.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
What happened to Alabama football’s defense in loss to Vanderbilt?
The Alabama football defense had been dominant on third down.
The first four games of the season, every Crimson Tide opponent struggled on the crucial down.
Before Saturday, Alabama had allowed 11 third downs on 64 attempts, a conversation percentage of 17.2%. That ranked second-best in the country.
Then Vanderbilt found a way to make that third-down defense look obsolete.
The Commodores went 12-for-18 on third down. Yes, Alabama gave up more third-down conversions to Vanderbilt than it had the other four teams (Western Kentucky, South Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia) combined.
The Crimson Tide defense couldn’t get off the field for much of the day. As a result, No. 1 Alabama fell to Vanderbilt 40-35 on Saturday at FirstBank Stadium.
“We’ve got to do a better job of being disciplined,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “Do our job. (Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia) keeps things alive with his feet, whether it was third down or other downs. They converted some third-and-longs. Great execution on their part. Obviously we expect to do good on third down too. We’ve done great things on third down. Been more fourth down. Guys certainly are frustrated about that.”
The third-down conversion rate was one of the most glaring stats for an Alabama defense that often struggled to find answers to Vanderbilt’s option offense.
Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson cited issues in man coverage. Penalties also proved problematic at times when the Crimson Tide was in a position to get off the field.
Pavia used his arm to pass for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 20 times for 56 yards. The Commodores had 54 carries total, and it could go to a number of guys. Trying to figure out who would run it gave Alabama some problems.
“There’s just multiple options,” Lawson said. “The quarterback … he’s a good player. Some plays we were just getting high leveraged. That created big plays. Just a variety of options they had, running the option. Everything else they do.”
Alabama also just didn’t make plays when in position at times. Missed tackles proved problematic. So, too, did issues in open field tackling.
A defense that also prides itself on takeaways couldn’t get any. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt scored 13 points off two turnovers, including a pick six. Alabama also didn’t sack Pavia.
“Vandy does a great job of holding the ball,” linebacker Que Robinson said. “Just creating those hard to get plays with the option and stuff. Just held the ball pretty long and tried to keep it away from us, which they did a good job of.”