Kristen Saban was one of the first people to call out her dad’s (Nick Saban) former team. “Hey Defense, WHATCHA DOING????” she had pointed out. To call Bama’s game against Vandy a joke would be an understatement. Coming hot off, the Bulldogs win this game against an unranked team should’ve been easy brownie points for Kalen DeBoer and Co. But nope. With the L hanging on their heads, DeBoer managed to ward away Kristen’s interest in the game as well.

While we had thought that she would come back to support her dad’s former team, it looks like it ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. Kristen Saban took to her Instagram account to share snaps of her visit to The Heidelberg. These posts come just a few minutes after the South Carolina win. Back on October 6 itself, Kristen had pointed out one thing; “Me going to bed tonight knowing I do not have to take these games personally anymore.” Seems like she is keeping her promise. And for good reasons.

With zero interest in the win against the Gamecocks, we don’t really blame her for turning a blind eye. What seemed like a game where DeBoer and Co. could bounce back after learning from the mistakes they made against Vandy turned into a slideshow of coaching errors.

The offense was dead in the water. QB Jalen Milroe only managed to cover around 200+ yards along with 16 completed passes. Pair that with 2 interceptions and 1 touchdown, this has to be his worst performance this season. If that wasn’t enough, god knows what the defense was doing. Many had thought that after Malachi Moore’s outburst against Vandy, he would do something to improve, right?

Nope. It was the same drama once again. The sole reason why Kalen DeBoer and Co. even managed to win this game was because of a fatal error from the Gamecocks end. With barely any time left on the clock, the Gamecocks managed a turnover and had the ball in their hands.

Right next to the end zone and with 25-27 on the scoreboard, it felt like DeBoer was going to suffer another loss to an unranked opponent for a second straight week. Call it fate’s cruel game; the Gamecocks QB missed one of the simplest passes of all time and Alabama took it home with 27 points. Looking at all these, former Alabama Running back and Heisman winner Mark Ingram II wrote on X, “Bro we need a miracle every week it shouldn’t be this way.”

Indeed, this ain’t the Tide we all know of and saw against Georgia. So, if we reverse the tape, what mistakes did DeBoer and Co. make that allowed the Gamecocks to push the powerhouse right to the edge?

Flashes of positivity amid questions about coaching

We’ve said it before and we will say it again. The overconfidence and arrogance played a huge role during Bama’s loss to Vandy and the struggling win against the Gamecocks. But that ain’t all. If we check back the tape, DeBoer and Co. made 3 vital errors that directly point fingers at the coaching and what the boys were thinking.

In no respective order; the first error was the onside kick which gave a point to the Gamecocks. The next was Jalen Milroe getting picked off before the half. The final nail was the 4th down TD pass. See, these are errors that you don’t expect from a team that has won the national championship this many times. However, amid these, there are some positives at least.

Jalen Milroe had two interceptions and a safety. But the redshirt junior quarterback showed maturity to overcome the mistakes and made the plays late in the fourth quarter when it was needed. But what is noteworthy here is, the team sealed the victory even on a day when Milroe is not at his best. While Alabama’s defense is being slammed, Domani Jackson proved to be an important part of it.

After temporarily leaving the game early in the second quarter, he returned in the second half and scored the game-winning interception on the final play of the game with the Crimson Tide only leading by two points. It was his second interception of the season, something that even won the coach’s praise.

“The guy wants to play. He’s had a great season so far, and he’s someone we have a lot of confidence in. We wanted to use him at the right times and moments in the second half when they came up. Again, finding a way to pull it down and concentrate on the ball—it might look like an easy pick, but you still have to be there and make the play. I’m definitely proud of the fight he showed and his desire to be back out there, especially considering he went down earlier in the game,” DeBoer said of Jackson.

Another positive is Alabama has been able to force turnovers. The defense had four turnovers on Saturday. This brought the season total up to 12. Notably, some of those came at critical times and setting scoring position or erased a mistake by the offense. However, not be missed that Alabama is still in search of its first non-offensive touchdown whether that comes on defense or special teams.

All that being said, undoubtedly there are many loose ends that need to be tied. The question now is, can DeBoer and Bama finally bounce back and get their heads in the game, or will the next game against the Vols be the final chapter? Indeed, if things do not improve drastically, then Roll Tide is gonna roll out of this season really fast.