Former Alabama football players and fans are questioning what’s wrong with the team after a second loss this season, this time to Tennessee. With the College Football Playoff hopes fading, Alabama, which could have dominated the Volunteers, fell 17-24 at Neyland Stadium. Since the second half of the Georgia game, Alabama’s performance has been subpar, and the finger is being pointed at the new coaching schemes.
Alabama brought in coaches Kalen DeBoer, Nick Sheridan, and JaMarcus Shephard from Washington, along with Kane Wommack from South Alabama, to help usher in the post-Nick Saban era. DeBoer was praised after Alabama’s win over Georgia, but the team now appears far from elite under his leadership. DeBoer and Sheridan’s offensive strategy has been criticized for being too complex, especially in the red zone. Instead of focusing on the run, Alabama has become overly dependent on quarterback Jalen Milroe and receiver Ryan Williams, with Williams being targeted 18 times in the last game, which isn’t balanced offense.
Despite claims that this was Alabama’s best offensive line, it hasn’t been able to dominate in the run game because of Sheridan’s lack of commitment to it. The passing concepts aren’t opening up the receivers, leading to Milroe taking unnecessary sacks. Former Alabama offensive coordinators like Jim McElwain, Lane Kiffin, and Steve Sarkisian kept things simpler, and this new staff seems to be overcomplicating things. Defensively, the 4-2-5 scheme isn’t executing well enough, leaving Alabama vulnerable to big plays when it should be forcing sacks and turnovers.
Kalen DeBoer
Although Alabama’s defense showed improvement against Tennessee compared to games against Vanderbilt and South Carolina, there were still issues. Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava missed several open throws, while running back Dylan Sampson wore down the defense with 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns. At times, Alabama players looked lost, a sign that they are still adjusting to the new coaching voice after years of Nick Saban.
The transition under DeBoer and his staff is taking time, as the coaches are learning the SEC while the players are adapting to the new schemes, some of which have caused challenges for the team.
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