Kalen DeBoer explains what went wrong in first half vs. Vanderbilt
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Alabama is once again in a close battle with Vanderbilt.
The Crimson Tide and Commodores went into the locker room tied at 14-14 thanks to a late touchdown by Alabama just before halftime. Despite a good start to the game on Alabama’s opening drive, the first half was a slog for the Tide.
Alabama failed to take advantage of some key opportunities on the offensive side of the ball in the first half, which coach Kalen DeBoer acknowledged in an interview at halftime.
“We missed some opportunities at the beginning of the first quarter, just got into their territory,” DeBoer told the Crimson Tide Sports Network. “Just timing. We had the plays we wanted, but we got to execute better. Did a nice job creasing us on a run play or two. Our guys are resilient right now. I love the punch back we just had at the end of the half. Obviously they get the ball to start the third quarter, so we got to come out defensively. I think we made the adjustments, for the most part. They hit us on the one shovel. I felt like we were right there. We just had to tackle on the second one.”
Although Alabama had issues on the offensive side of the ball, its defense may have been a bigger problem. The Crimson Tide conceded a 65-yard touchdown run to Sedrick Alexander in the first quarter. Overall, the Commodores averaged a staggering 7.9 yards per play in the first half.
Vanderbilt has not defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa since 1984.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
