DeBoer: ‘Fine line’ between Alabama, greatness

PASADENA, Calif. — Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said there is «a fine line» between his team’s historic 38-3 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl and where it wants to be.

«It may not feel like it when you’re in this moment right now and what happened today, but I can tell you it’s a fine between being here and being at the top,» DeBoer said. «We got to put the work in, you got to believe, you got to be consistent, you got to have discipline and we’ll get back to work and start all over again.»

The 35-point defeat was the most lopsided postseason loss in Alabama history, which was previously a 32-point loss to Nebraska in the 1972 Orange Bowl. It was also the first time Alabama had trailed by 35 points in any game since 1998.

«Go back to starting over from scratch with putting the people around you — the right people — and committing to something. A common goal together and the actions following it,» said DeBoer, who is 19-8 in two seasons since replacing Nick Saban.

DeBoer credited Indiana for the way it handled the Tide, complimenting both quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.

«They led with a trigger man, made the throws, third-down conversions, just kept them on the football field,» DeBoer said. «They continued to wear us down at the end of the game with the run game. They just execute at a high level, and everyone feeds off each other on both sides of the ball. It’s not just one thing.»

«You’ve got to tip your hat to Coach Cignetti and what he’s done and obviously they’re all aligned.»

Receiver Germie Bernard, who transferred to Alabama with DeBoer from Washington, put the onus on the players.

«Our coaches did a great job at putting a great game plan together for us,» he said. «But it just comes down to us being able to execute it. And we didn’t execute to our best abilities. [Indiana] capitalized off all the mistakes we made.»

After a scoreless first quarter, Indiana took a 3-0 lead to begin the second, after which DeBoer felt the pressure to match the Hoosiers’ opening score. It led to a decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Alabama 34-yard line that was unsuccessful, which set up Indiana with a short field and a quick touchdown followed.

«Just felt like it was going to be one of those games where you’ve got to take advantage of possessions,» DeBoer said. «Obviously, when you fall short, it’s the wrong decision.»

The Tide never recovered.