Kalen DeBoer knows exactly what’s waiting for Alabama in Baton Rouge.
As the No. 10 Crimson Tide gear up to face No.
15 LSU in Week 9, the Alabama coach made it clear Wednesday that this is the kind of game that can swing a season. With SEC Championship and College Football Playoff hopes in play for both teams, Saturday’s trip to LSU suddenly carries heavy weight for everyone involved.
DeBoer spent part of his media availability breaking down what makes the Tigers dangerous, and he started with the obvious. LSU, he said, can hit you in a lot of different ways.
“Just explosive offensively,” DeBoer said. “Got a front that really gets after the passer.
But does a nice job all around. And so, when they get rolling as a football team, it’s been really impressive what they can do to their opponents.
And so, this last week, you could just see them have a presence from the very get-go and execute at a high level. A lot of really good football players, and obviously, they do a really good job as a coaching staff, putting their guys in positions to have success.”
That’s not empty coach-speak. DeBoer sounded like a man who understands Alabama is walking into a hard one.
He also gave Lane Kiffin his due, and not just as a play-caller. DeBoer’s praise went beyond the offensive reputation Kiffin has carried for years, pointing instead to the way he has shaped LSU in his first season with the program.
“I think he’s a very good coach. He’s won a lot.
And I mean, extremely experienced and done it at different places. And so, I think it’s more than just an offensive mind, probably, that a lot of people look at and think of when they think of Coach Kiffin.
It’s how to put a team together, and he’s done a great job again here, bringing these guys together throughout this season and continuing to keep them growing and moving forward.”
The respect is obvious on both fronts: for the Tigers’ talent, and for the coach guiding them. And that’s why this one feels so loaded.
If Alabama is going to leave Death Valley with a win, DeBoer knows his team will need its sharpest performance of the season.
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Former Alabama Assistant Just Addressed Those Power Four Rumors
Charles Huff has been a familiar name in coaching circles for a while, and his current success at Memphis has naturally put him on the radar as Power Four openings start to circulate. The former Alabama assistant spent time at Marshall and Southern Miss before landing the Tigers job, and his name has recently been floated in connection with Baylor, Maryland and NC State as those programs sort through their next steps.
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Alabama Heads Into LSU Week With One Encouraging Trend Under DeBoer
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The encouraging part for Alabama is what has happened coming out of bye weeks under DeBoer. The Tide have won all four of those games and done so by comfortable margins, a useful trend to lean on as they head into a matchup that should carry real College Football Playoff weight. LSU, coached by Lane Kiffin, will bring plenty of attention and pressure with it, and Alabama's ability to reset this week could matter as much as anything else in what comes next. [Read more 🡒]