Kalen DeBoer didn’t need much time to see what was dragging Alabama down early against Vanderbilt: a quarterback still working back into the rhythm of the game, and an offense that had to settle in on the fly.
Keelon Russell got the start for the No. 3 Crimson Tide in Nashville after reports suggested he would be available if needed, with Austin Mack expected to get the nod. Instead, Russell was under center, and Alabama’s first-half offense came out flat before finally finding the end zone late enough to take a 7-3 lead into halftime.
“It’s important,” DeBoer, who is 23-2 when leading at halftime, told the SEC Network at halftime of the touchdown. “There’s some operational things that we’re feeling out a little bit.
Keelon just getting more comfortable here as the game goes on, so reps and understanding what he is seeing and feeling it. Obviously, they have a game plan, too, so adjusted to it and make sure we take care of the football.”
Russell was a game-time decision after the ankle injury he suffered in the win over LSU, and DeBoer said the issues weren’t limited to the quarterback spot alone.
“You got to ID the right guys and block them, not try to do too much back there,” he said. “As Keelon goes on, he’s getting a better feel of what he is seeing and trying not to do too much.
Take what they give you. And when we do that, we’re fine, but you can’t have the one play that puts you down the chains.”
When Alabama did clean things up, Russell delivered. He connected with Marshall Pritchett on a 9-yard touchdown pass to finish a nine-play, 75-yard drive and put the Tide in front.
The defense carried its end of the bargain, too. Alabama smothered Vanderbilt for just 32 yards of total offense in the first half.
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Seton Hall made things interesting by clawing back from a 17-point deficit, which is the kind of response that can expose where a team still has work to do even in a win. Alabama handled the closing stretch well enough to finish the job, but the bigger takeaway from a non-conference game like this is whether the improved defense and lineup tinkering can hold up once the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
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Week 11 brings the kind of pressure-packed setting that can reshape the bracket in a hurry, especially with teams like Notre Dame, Texas, UCLA, Kentucky and Boise State all trying to protect their own positioning. For Alabama, the challenge is less about style points now and more about surviving a late-season test that could determine whether its playoff case stays strong or starts to unravel. [Read more 🡒]