Alabama walked into the halftime break in rough shape, and Kalen DeBoer was catching plenty of the blame while Florida State held a 21-13 lead in Tuscaloosa.
The game went into a weather delay with 2:00 left before halftime, but the bigger story was what had already happened on the field. Florida State had been sharp on third down, going 4-for-4, while Alabama managed just 1-for-7 in that department. That gap helped explain why the Crimson Tide spent most of the first half chasing the Seminoles.
Given the way Alabama opened, the reaction came fast. Fans and observers were already venting about DeBoer’s team, especially with memories still fresh from Florida State’s shocking win over Alabama early last season. The frustration was aimed squarely at the Crimson Tide’s sluggish start and DeBoer’s inability so far to flip the script against Mike Norvell and the Seminoles.
“Does FSU have some sort of disorder where they can only play well vs Alabama or something?”
“What is it with Florida State and playing Bama? They all of the sudden go all pro mode. Up 14-3 in Tuscaloosa with 2 mins left in 1st qtr.”
“Alabama in the first half”
“Alabama is a better team than they are showing right now…really frustrating”
“I’m completely out on Kalen DeBoer at Alabama if they lose today.
Can’t defend it anymore.”
“Fire Kalen DeBoer right now!”
“Mike Norvell has had exactly one thing going for him the last couple years. And that one thing is Kalen DeBoer.”
“This would be the worst loss of the Kalen DeBoer era. Have to find a way to come back in this one.
Need to win the final 2.5 quarters by 16+.”
For Alabama, the margin at halftime wasn’t huge, but the feeling around the start was plenty ugly.
In Other News...
Alabama's Mike Norvell Near-Miss Looks Even Bigger Now
When Nick Saban announced his retirement in January 2024, Mike Norvell surfaced as a serious name in Alabamas search, with reports indicating he had moved into advanced talks with the Crimson Tides athletic director. In the end, Norvell stayed at Florida State after landing a contract extension, closing what looked at the time like one of the biggest coaching possibilities of the offseason.
Since then, the backdrop in Tallahassee has only grown shakier, with Florida States football fortunes sliding and the programs athletic director recently being fired. For Alabama fans looking back on that search, the near-miss feels more significant now, because the decision to stay put has placed Norvell in a far more uncertain spot than the one he passed up. [Read more 🡒]
Keelon Russell May Have Changed Alabamas Ceiling Faster Than Expected
Keelon Russell gave Alabama a jolt in the comeback win over Florida State, and he did it with the kind of poise that can change how a season feels in a hurry. Down 21-6, the quarterback helped the Crimson Tide score on seven straight possessions, finishing 23 of 30 for 320 yards and three touchdowns while adding 56 rushing yards and another score in the 50-36 victory.
For Alabama, the performance was about more than one flashy afternoon. Russell still described himself as a quarterback in development afterward, which is the part that should make the rest of the sport take notice, because if this is where he is while still growing into the job, the ceiling in Tuscaloosa may have moved up faster than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Power Struggles Keep Reshaping The World Around Alabama
Conference disputes have become a defining backdrop for the sport Alabama lives in, with schools and leagues repeatedly testing just how much control each side really has. LSUs effort to add former NFL training camp players to its roster and the SECs response is only the latest reminder that the ground around college football keeps shifting, whether it is a coach suspension in the Big Ten, Florida States lawsuit against the ACC over media rights or Washingtons sanctions from the old Pac-10.
For Alabama, the bigger point is how often these fights reshape the competitive landscape before anyone plays a game. Texas A&Ms move into the SEC came out of frustration with the Big 12, and the pattern is familiar enough now that each new dispute feels like another sign of a sport still working through who has leverage, who gets heard and what happens when schools decide their conference no longer fits the job they want done. [Read more 🡒]