How Alabama Has Blocked Out Noise After Being Written Off Following Week 1

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It's not very common to continue discussing a loss more than one month after it happened.

When Alabama fell to Florida State in the season opener, the college football world assumed the worst. They said the dynasty was over, head coach Kalen DeBoer had to go and that the team won't keep up with today's game. Alabama players and coaches will usually say that they don't hear or read about what's said, but the mecca of the sport was ferociously attacked after that loss and it was impossible not to notice.

The Crimson Tide had and still has a long road ahead, but following the loss, Alabama dominated ULM and Wisconsin at home, broke then-No. 5 Georgia's 33-game home winning streak and defeated No. 16 Vanderbilt 30-14 on Saturday. DeBoer and company have had the tall task of blocking out the noise, and the win over the Commodores helped them continue to clap back at those who wrote them off.

"Well, there's enough to where it's not just this week, right? There's enough to where you can't help but hear [the noise]," DeBoer said during the postgame press conference. "I can hear it in the questions we get asked in the press conference with you all and stuff. You know it's out there.

"Our guys right now are just showing up and doing the work. That's what's got us to this point and just keep reminding them and it gets really tempting and I'm sure there'll be something that pops up. They're doing a really good job of just showing up and doing the work and focusing on us and this is what you get. You get these games that you know are going to go four quarters in the SEC."

DeBoer said that he showed the team a stat before the game. He explained that eight of the 12 SEC games already played within the conference have been decided by seven points or less. In other words, he wasn't surprised that Saturday's contest in Tuscaloosa was a six-point game entering the fourth quarter.

"I just love the way that our thought process and our mindset is that you've got to be in it for four quarters," DeBoer said. "We've used the analogy of a 15-round heavyweight fight and that's what it's got to be every week and we've got to go do that again this next week against Missouri."

Last week's win over Georgia also came down to the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide led 24-21 entering the final period, and after taking a couple of punches earlier in the game, Alabama's defense shut the Bulldogs out in the fourth quarter.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and running back Sedrick Alexander each scored two total touchdowns during last year's game. These two have been the Commodores' key offensive players this season, and that showed early on Saturday, as Alexander logged a 65-yard touchdown run and Pavia had a 36-yard keeper.

The two of them connected on a couple of shovel passes as well — a play that was kryptonite for Alabama's defense during the historic upset. But after those plays, the Crimson Tide locked down. After rushing for 113 yards in the first quarter, Vanderbilt had 13 in the second, seven in the third and two in the fourth.

So, what's led to Alabama turning the corner when it comes to storming back from early setbacks?

"Just really understanding when it first happened Week 1," DeBoer said. "There's one of two things you can do. You can just take it, or you can fight back. If we are who we are and we really believe that we have a good football team, then we should only have one option and that's to give it everything we've got and leave it all on the football field.

"That's what these guys are doing. The defense is just doing a good job of making sure that they make the opposing offense play another play. Line up, you see the drives, I mean, there were two turnovers in the red zone, really and so forcing them to play another play and just making them earn it.

"Our guys are kind of getting that feeling of takeaways like we did last year. I think it's starting to come back to us. The physicality, now on top of that, that I felt we brought today. I thought it was a positive step for our defense."

As DeBoer previously stated, No. 10 Alabama has to continue to block out the noise and fight back on the road against No. 19 Missouri at 11 a.m. CT.

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