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Alabama coaches talk Vanderbilt adjustments, Malachi Moore and Jehiem Oatis


Alabama coaches talk Vanderbilt adjustments, Malachi Moore and Jehiem Oatis

Alabama football season continues.

After a surprising loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday in Nashville, the Crimson Tide now prepares to face South Carolina this week.

But Monday marked the first opportunity for coordinators Kane Wommack (defense) and Nick Sheridan (offense) to speak in their weekly news conferences following the loss. As usual, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will also speak on Monday after speaking on Saturday evening.

Here are the highlights from Monday's press conference.

Live Updates: Kalen DeBoer and Kane Wommack address South Carolina

Kane Wommack

  • “I don’t think we played the way we should from a defensive standpoint.”
  • Wommack thought Alabama was too much on its heels against Vanderbilt.
  • Wommack said Alabama needs to adjust and tweak some things to get back to a great third-down defense.
  • Wommack said takeout was one of the keys to victory, but Alabama didn't get any.
  • “If we don’t get any of our keys to winning … that’s ultimately on me as the defensive coordinator.”
  • Wommack saw a blue-collar attitude from the boys on Sunday.
  • Wommack credited Vanderbilt’s game plan.
  • “You look at last week’s third-down defense … not at the level.”
  • “The guys are ready to respond on Saturday.”
  • “We’re already working” on South Carolina. “It’s definitely a huge challenge for us.”
  • “I think we’re going to play with a level of urgency” against South Carolina.
  • Wommack said Alabama has made some adjustments on the front line and what they are doing with their defensive players in terms of job assignments.
  • Wommack said Vanderbilt threw new wrinkles as the game went on.
  • “Because we weren’t able to get off the field on third down,” Wommack said, which gave Vanderbilt the opportunity to continue to wrinkle.
  • Wommack on Malachi Moore: “I’m not sure anyone cares more about Alabama football than Malachi.”
  • “(Malachi) was held accountable for some of the actions” toward the end of the game.
  • Wommack said Alabama would “try to calm him down a little bit” late after the penalty. (For context: Alabama appeared to try to sub Bray Hubbard for Moore, but Moore did not leave the game.)
  • Wommack said he believes Alabama is inconsistent in the pass rush against athletic quarterbacks. “We gave them space and gave (Diego Pavia) time to make some decisions.”
  • Wommack said the pass rush wasn't consistent enough.
  • Wommack said the key to winning No. 1 is doing his job with consistency, urgency and physicality.
  • Wommack ends his press conference. Sheridan is next.

Nick Sheridan

  • Sheridan says Alabama didn't do enough to win the game, so the effort wasn't good enough.
  • Says Alabama needs to do a better job with the possessions it had.
  • When asked if Vanderbilt limited Jalen Milroe's rushing abilities. He says the Crimson Tide used him less in the running game because of the flow of the game
  • Asked if Geno VanDeMark will come into play. Says players who have earned the opportunity to play will do so. VanDeMark did some nice things, but Alabama's collective effort wasn't good enough.
  • Asked about Alabama leadership's reaction to Saturday's loss. Sheridan says it's been going well so far, but he expects it to continue throughout the week.
  • Question about the conversation between him and Jalen Milroe after the early pick six. Says Milroe's reaction was great and he didn't let the interception affect him.
  • Says Alabama didn't get as many chances to run the football as expected, due in part to playing catch-up. Tide needs to be more efficient and effective in this area.
  • Asked about Jam Miller and Justice Haynes. Says they both played solid with and without the ball. “Just like I said to everyone else, we didn’t do enough.”
  • Says Alabama wants to have control of the game, which is achieved through execution and first downs. He says four possessions the Tide didn't make were key.
  • That's the end of Sheridan's press conference. Next up is DeBoer.

Kalen DeBoer

  • He says he has many of the same feelings as he did after the game. He says that employees will have to give the team answers in the future, and he states that they have done so so far. Stresses the need to move to South Carolina.
  • “We have a great football team. I’m convinced of that.” Praises Tide’s resilience.
  • Says Shane Beamer is doing “some really nice things.” at USC. Says Gamecocks are a physical football team.
  • Asked about Alabama's focus. Says that after a loss everything becomes worse. Says Alabama left itself no room for error with the way the game started. Notes that the Crimson Tide had to try and speed up the game.
  • He says he is extremely frustrated. Says Alabama can't lose composure in the face of losses. Notes the “extreme frustration” he saw from Crimson Tide players in the locker room afterward. Says UA now has less room to achieve its goals but can still do it.
  • Asked about Malachi Moore. Says security “went above and beyond” and took responsibility for the outbreak at the end of the game. He says he wants Alabama fans to know that Moore is rock solid and has contributed greatly to the team's cohesion since Nick Saban retired and some decided to leave UA. “This guy loves Alabama football. He works tirelessly every day on the football field.”
  • When asked how Alabama is fixing its penalty problems. Says UA did a better job. Notes that the calls against the flood came at inopportune times. He says there was no recklessness in Que Robinson's rough attack on the passerby call.
  • Asked about defensive adjustments during the game and how involved he is on that side of the ball. Says he constantly has conversations with Wommack during the game. Says it's important not to overreact and Alabama is making adjustments to its game play. Says the worst thing employees could do is panic. He thinks the Tide did a better job on first and second downs.
  • He says it's important to stay the course after the defeat. It's important for Alabama to understand what it can control and how to fix problems.
  • Asked about Jehiem Oatis' exit. He says he feels like it will continue, and there are other elements, including health and life elements for Oatis. He says he notified staff and has continued to stay in touch.

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