Alabama is heading into its Sept. 19 matchup with Florida State with some extra memory attached, but Kalen DeBoer says the Crimson Tide are treating it like any other week in the process.
This is a different Alabama team than the one that took a 31-17 road loss at Florida State in 2025, and DeBoer made clear that the focus inside the program is on what comes next rather than dwelling on that result. Still, he acknowledged that plenty of people around the team remember exactly how that night felt.
"I know there are a lot of guys, including our staff, that certainly know what it felt like last year walking off that football field," DeBoer said.
For DeBoer, that loss helped sharpen the program’s edge. He said Alabama’s season-opening defeat brought "greater intentionality." The lesson, as he framed it, was not about revenge so much as using that experience to push the team forward.
"Any extra motivation, I think the key is to channel that energy into the right things, and that's our preparation," DeBoer said. "When that happens, if you go through the process of the week, the right things will happen on Saturday."
That approach, he said, has been part of Alabama’s first two weeks. The Tide have been working to keep outside chatter from becoming a distraction, instead turning it into fuel. DeBoer pointed to Saturday’s 45-17 road win over Kentucky as an example of that mindset showing up on the field.
"Last week there was a lot going into that game, the environment," DeBoer said. "There is outside noise in every way. You want them to lock it out, but if you channel it the right way, you can use it as a positive."
Even with Florida State coming to Tuscaloosa to finish the home-and-home, DeBoer said Alabama’s internal standard stays the same. The motivation may be there, but it isn’t changing the team’s preparation or the way it approaches the matchup.
"It's the most important game of the season right now because it's the next one," DeBoer said. "But there are certainly guys who remember how it felt."
Alabama and Florida State are set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday.
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