Kalen DeBoer evaluates Alabama’s defense in first half against Mizzou
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide entered halftime of their pivotal Week 7 meeting with the No. 14 Missouri Tigers with a 17-10 lead after very solid first-half performances on both offense and defense.
There were some serious concerns leading into the matchup surrounding the Tides’ ability to slow down Mizzou’s elite ground game, and outside of a couple of long runs from the nation’s leading rusher in Ahmad Hardy, Alabama’s defense held strong in this department.
Per Alabama insider Mike Rodak, the Crimson Tide Sports Network asked second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer about his defense’s performance over the first 2 frames of action and he seemed pleased with the effort he saw from his guys outside of a couple of explosive plays.
“They popped us on the run there on the last last drive,” DeBoer said. “The explosives — we’ve done a good job other than the first drive and that play right there. We’re making them earn it. Just got to continue to strain every single play, make them line up and play another play. Playing team football right now.”
The Tide certainly played a very solid first half, but they can’t afford to take their foot off the gas coming out of the locker room. It’s still a 1-score game in Columbia, and Mizzou has shown they can hang around with the best of them.
If Alabama wants to pick up another massive SEC road win, then the defense will have to continue chopping away on every Tigers’ possession.
