Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer, offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack will be at the forefront of trying to get things figured out as the Crimson Tide looks to go on a run and make the College Football Playoff.
The recent loss to Tennessee on the road makes that path more difficult and creates less margin for error. Or more specifically, less margin for another loss.
Alabama now has two losses with games against Missouri, LSU, Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn to close out the schedule.
DeBoer, Sheridan and Wommack will all hold their weekly press conferences Monday, starting at about 11:30 a.m. CT. Follow along for live updates.
Live updates: Kalen DeBoer press conference, Alabama football coaches talk before Missouri
Kalen DeBoer
- “We’ve had two losses now. Trying to find those complete games as a team.”
- “We‘ve got to play better as a team. That’s what great teams do.”
- DeBoer said Alabama can’t have the mistakes, penalties and other issues.
- “It starts with me continuing to set the standard that leads to high performance.”
- DeBoer said he has a group of guys that want to be great. He can see that in their response and how they show up to work.
- “Being a championship football team is hard. We all signed up for it.”
- “It takes everything we‘ve got. That’s what we all signed up for.”
- “There‘s never going to be excuses. That’s one thing that only softens character. That lowers the standard. That will never happen.”
- DeBoer on injuries: Keon Sabb has a lower extremity injury. “We do expect him to be down for a while.”
- “I know this week is going to be one where we get back to work.”
- DeBoer asked about if Milroe is dealing with any injuries. “There’s nothing that is going to be holding him back from being able to go out there” and helping to get a win. But DeBoer noted everyone playing significant snaps right now is dealing with something usually.
Nick Sheridan
- Asked to assess Jalen Milroe’s play against Tennessee. “None of us coached or played well in the game Saturday. That starts with me.” … “Jalen is an extremely confident player. I have no concerns about that at all.”
- Sheridan was asked if there were any communication issues. “I would say we had some communication issues. There was no doubt about it.” Sheridan said that will have to get better when Alabama is in an environment like that again.
- Sheridan said the running game is an area that will be “a point of emphasis for us this week for sure.”
- Sheridan asked about not being able to score after defense got takeaways vs. Tennessee. “That was disappointing because I certainly felt like there were opportunities in the game to capitalize on those.”
- Sheridan on his message to Jalen Milroe: I think Jalen has made some incredible plays for us this year. I don‘t think there’s any doubt about it … When you come up short, there are always plays you would like back … That‘s not just the quarterback. That’s everybody.”
- Sheridan talked about the importance of getting off the ground and “keep swinging.”
- “Get back to playing the type of football we’re capable of playing” Sheridan said of the message to the team this week.
- Sheridan on incorporating veteran receivers. “We‘re always looking at utilizing all personnel we have … That’s at every position.”
- Sheridan on Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard pretending to shoot a basketball on the fourth down play. “There‘s nothing on the field we’re not coaching. That’s how I would answer that.”
- “We’ve got to eliminate the negative plays.”
Kane Wommack
- Wommack pointed to three explosive runs given up as the main issue defending the run in the Tennessee game.
- Wommack praised Missouri quarterback Brady Cook for his toughness.
- Wommack asked about Bray Hubbard and King Mack, two reserve defensive backs. Wommack praised Hubbard overall. “King was asked to do a tough deal … He battled his tail off. Made some plays. Ultimately would love to have that last touchdown back.”
- Wommack on his overall defensive back depth: “There’s always a next-man up mentality … the guys who are rolling with the 2s at any given moment” might have to step in. Wommack said the young guys have an urgency in practice to get in.
- Wommack asked about the illegal substitution penalty. “If you’re injured, the protocol there is for the guy to go down.”
- Wommack asked about playing better team football. “There are no excuses. The standard is the standard … But these are some of the growing pains we’re going to deal with and continue to work through as a football team.”
- “Kalen does a tremendous job with the culture of our program.”
- Wommack said Alabama has done a good job with its response to the Tennessee loss.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.