After Alabama took down Texas A&M 31-20 on Saturday, the Crimson Tide made sure Kalen DeBoer’s birthday ended with a little extra splash.
Safety Bray Hubbard was the one steering the operation once he got into the locker room. He tracked down Jeff Allen and got straight to the point.
Jeff I need an ice bucket full of water, full of ice.
All right.
The athletic trainer then got on the radio, and Hubbard soon had what he needed. The first bucket that showed up, though, still had towels in it - and that wasn’t going to work.
Y’all got to take the towels out. We can’t have towels flying out.
Hubbard wanted the whole thing to stay under wraps so Alabama’s 52-year-old coach wouldn’t catch on early. He called over left tackle Jackson Lloyd, and the two of them carried the bucket toward DeBoer while trying to keep things quiet.
“I thought he saw the bucket a couple times,” Hubbard said.
The problem was all the movement in the room. Hubbard worried someone shifting around might tip off the coach before the surprise was ready.
So he brought in quarterback Keelon Russell to help distract him.
Try to get his attention on the other side.
“And then I don’t even know what happened,” Hubbard said. “We just all of a sudden grabbed it and just went, and he turned right into it.”
That was it. In the middle of the room, in front of the team, Hubbard and Lloyd dumped the bucket over DeBoer.
Woosh.
“It was a cold one,” DeBoer said postgame.
The birthday target had actually set the terms earlier in the week: the players could do whatever they wanted on his birthday as long as they got the win.
“This was really the only birthday gift I was wanting,” DeBoer said. “Find a way to get a win tonight. Super proud of these guys.”
He got the win - and the soaked birthday finish that came with it.
In Other News...
Alabama Fans Have A Real Reason To Watch Keon Sabb Closely
Keon Sabbs role bears watching after Alabamas win over Texas A&M, when the safety did not take a defensive snap during the final four series despite showing no obvious signs of injury. With the Crimson Tide already juggling a secondary hit by injuries, a suspension and an ejection, the late-game rotation got even more interesting as sophomore Ivan Taylor and freshman Jireh Edwards both stepped in.
Edwards also replaced Sabb on the punt return unit in the second half, another small but notable wrinkle in a game where Alabama kept adjusting on the fly. The absence came at a point when the Tide were already managing their back end carefully, so whether this was simply a situational decision or something more is now part of the conversation heading into the next week. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads Into The Bye With One Big Roster Concern
Alabama walked out of College Station with a 31-20 win over Texas A&M, a result that stopped the skid and gave Kalen DeBoer a much-needed reset heading into the bye week. The victory came after two straight losses, so the mood around the program shifted quickly from frustration to a chance to regroup, evaluate where things stand and get healthier before the next stretch.
DeBoer used his postgame news conference to address all of it, from how the Tide played to how he views the roster heading into the break. The bigger point for Alabama is what comes next, with the staff hoping the bye helps bring some key players back and settles at least one lingering roster concern before the season resumes. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama May Have Sparked A Bigger Texas A&M QB Problem
Texas A&M had Alabama right where it wanted it entering the fourth quarter, but the finish turned into another reminder of how fragile the Aggies quarterback situation can be. Marcell Reed completed 14 of 21 passes for 163 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the 31-20 loss, and Alabamas late push turned a one-score game into a tougher result for a Texas A&M team that had led 20-17 heading into the final period.
Mike Elkos postgame comments only added to the pressure around the position. The coach said he did consider benching Reed during the game, but stuck with him because he still views Reed as the Aggies best option under center. For Alabama, the takeaway is simpler: when the game tightened, the Tide forced Texas A&M into the exact kind of quarterback conversation teams usually want to avoid in October. [Read more 🡒]