Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer is revealing his thoughts on a scuffle that ensued during the Iron Bowl on Saturday. The Alabama-Auburn game got heated when Crimson Tide defensive backs got chippy with an Auburn wide receiver.
The defensive backs got called for unsportsmanlike conduct, after Auburn football wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith blocked one of the players out of bounds.
“It’s an emotional game,” DeBoer said, per ESPN. “It builds up to this, and the game itself back and forth. It’s not OK, but I understand where the emotions were on both sides.”
The incident was just one in a tsunami of heated altercations that took place in college football on Saturday. The most notable is during the aftermath of the Michigan-Ohio State game, when a brawl broke out at midfield. Michigan football players attempted to plant a school flag on the Ohio State field, and the altercation quickly turned violent.
Alabama football defeated Auburn 28-14, in the intense Iron Bowl rivalry. The Crimson Tide finish the regular season with a 9-3 overall record.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer finished his first regular season at the school. He had a solid season by the standards of most teams. He won 9 games in Tuscaloosa, and the Crimson Tide were in strong conversation for a College Football Playoff berth until very late in the season.
The Crimson Tide are still not out of the CFP conversation, although it will be hard to make it in with three losses.
“I think everyone’s aware of our schedule, and I don’t know the exact stats but I know we beat four Top 25 teams throughout the year, and I don’t know if anyone’s done that,” DeBoer added. “When you talk about the schedule and what it is week to week, it’s just a grind. And having to come back every week, really the only conference that has to do that is ours.
“We’ve won five of our last six, playing some physical football. … We’ve beaten some high-quality teams, teams that are still out there, I believe, playing some good ball themselves.”
If Alabama football doesn’t make the CFP, that would be hard to stomach for most Alabama football fans. They were used to seeing Nick Saban compete for national championships year in and year out. That includes last season, when the Crimson Tide made the CFP before losing a semi-final game to eventual champion Michigan.
DeBoer will have to rebuild his roster moving forward into a championship caliber squad. Alabama had a great win this season over Georgia, who is headed to the SEC title game. The Crimson Tide struggled on defense at times, giving up big performances to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
Alabama will soon learn if they are getting a CFP berth.