Kalen DeBoer isn’t backing away from Ryan Grubb, even after Alabama’s offense stumbled badly in Knoxville.
After the Crimson Tide’s 26-10 loss to Tennessee, Grubb didn’t hide from the performance. He called it "embarrassing," and added, "If I was a fan or a supporter, I'd be pissed off too."
The numbers were ugly across the board. Alabama managed only 10 points, 201 total yards and 47 rushing yards, all season lows, while giving the ball away four times, a season high.
The Tide’s lone touchdown came after an interception set them up at the Tennessee 14-yard line. They finished 2-for-13 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down, a night that turned into a long list of problems.
That kind of output has pushed Grubb into the center of the criticism. Fans have pointed at the play-calling, the reluctance to lean on the run, the slow-developing designs and the lack of halftime answers as Alabama’s offense bogged down.
DeBoer sees it differently.
"I think he's a great play-caller," DeBoer said. "I think that putting an offense together to understand tendencies and things like that, I think you've got to look at, there are a lot of scenarios that go into struggling at times as an offense. And again, it comes down to execution."
Execution was the issue for Alabama all night. The Tide couldn’t cash in on a pair of fourth-and-ones in Tennessee territory, and the heavy sets that had fueled the ground game through six weeks were shut down by Xavier Gilliam and the Tennessee front.
"A lot of those moments, you know, fourth-and-one calls. I mean, I think they're really good calls," DeBoer said. "They're calls we were ready to run in that game."
Grubb called Alabama’s scoreless second half "pathetic," and DeBoer made it clear the offense needs more than just frustration to move forward. If the unit is going to get anywhere near its early-season production, changes have to happen.
"The thing about Ryan is that he's evaluating and is critical in himself as anyone, and it's always been like that," DeBoer said. "It goes back 15 years, at least 20 years that I've known him, and so, you know, that's the beauty I think in our staff as a whole."
For now, Grubb’s job will be under the microscope the rest of the way. His contract expires in February, and Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes now feel tied to whether the offense can start producing again, and quickly.
"You're trying to fit what you do around your personnel, just have a system," DeBoer said. "We're plugging these guys in the system. We've got to continue to evolve around the players that we have and help them play fast."
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Now the path looks a little more open. With EJ Crowell dealing with a knee injury and Alabama struggling to get much going on the ground, Dear could be in line for a bigger workload when the Crimson Tide face Texas A&M. He flashed promise in his debut season, but his usage has dipped this year, and this matchup may finally give Alabama a better look at what he can do with real touches. [Read more 🡒]