Subscribe
Follow Us
On Saturday, Alabama football suffered one of the most shocking losses in recent college football history with a road loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores just a week after knocking off number two Georgia. While quarterback Jalen Milroe took an even-keeled approach after the defeat, Alabama fans were a bit less understanding, as the team lost to an unranked opponent for the first time in nearly two decades.
It was surely a back down to earth moment for newly minted head coach Kalen DeBoer, who immediately lost all of the good favor he had built up with last week's epic win vs Georgia by losing to the SEC's symbol of ineptitude in Vanderbilt.
In fact, so shocking was the Crimson Tide's loss that ESPN college football insider Paul Finebaum was inclined to sound off on DeBoer and compare him to former head coach Nick Saban during an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show, via Nick Kosko of On3 Sports.
“Well, we saw a new head coach in Alabama named Kalen DeBoer, who, after all the praise he got here last week, showed that the Nick Saban era is over, because Nick Saban would have never lost that game,” said Finebaum.
“And people talk about the Louisiana-Monroe game, you know, (Saban) inherited a 6-7 team. This is the worst loss I have ever seen by a quality Alabama team,” said Finebaum. “I’ve seen bad Alabama teams lose … but I’ve never seen a great Alabama team lose like this, and it is sending shockwaves through the Alabama ecosystem right now.”
Here, Finebaum is referring to a surprising loss to Lousiaina-Monroe that Saban endured in his first season as Alabama's head coach, before the team's dynastic run took off.
Article Continues Below
Can Alabama football bounce back?
There really isn't a precedent for what to do in Tuscaloosa after a loss like Alabama football endured on Sunday, because the Tide essentially never lost games like this under head coach Nick Saban.
Of course, with the new 12-team expanded playoff system, Alabama's season is far from over, and the team will have ample opportunity to prove that the loss to Vanderbilt was nothing more than a blip on the radar.
However, it was certainly jarring to see Alabama's group of four and five star defensive players get shredded by Vanderbilt's Motley crew of offensive talent, and it probably won't be a fun time in the Crimson Tide film room this week.
