Greg McElroy remembers the locker-room pulse at Sanford Stadium before No. 8 Alabama faced No. 3 Georgia on Sept. 27, 2008.
The Bulldogs were the AP Preseason No. 1, and Georgia had "Blackout" jerseys for the occasion. Alabama finished 7-6 in Nick Saban's first season in 2007 and were looking for that first program-altering win. McElroy – now a SEC Network analyst – was a sophomore backup quarterback.
"Nowhere near the level of expectation that Alabama has on an annual basis now," McElroy told The Sporting News. "There was a sense of 'house money' type of approach in the locker room that season. It's like, 'All right, no one expected us to be here, so let's go out and kick people's butt.'"
Alabama jumped out to a 31-0 lead at halftime and beat Georgia 41-30 – the origin story of the Saban dynasty that produced nine SEC championships and six national championships. McElroy led the first championship run in the 2009 season.
McElroy said dynamics are different for No. 17 Alabama heading into Saturday's matchup at No. 5 Georgia. Is this the turning point – for better or worse – under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer? What is the actual temperature from the fans on Nick Saban's successor? How different will that vibe be in the locker room this time around?
"The players are even more prepared now, than say 17 years ago, to manage the expectations because they know what they signed up for," McElroy said.
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Will Kalen DeBoer end Alabama road woes at Georgia?
Alabama bounced back from a 31-17 loss to Florida State in Week 1 – a loss that doesn't look as bad knowing the Seminoles are ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll now. The Crimson Tide beat UL-Monroe 73-0 and Wisconsin 38-14.
Ty Simpson compiled 862 yards, nine TDs and no interceptions. Preseason All-Americans Ryan Williams and Tim Keenan Jr. are healthy, and running back Jam Miller will return against the Bulldogs.
"Whatever we've asked of this group they've just been so coachable," DeBoer said at his press conference Tuesday. "Talking through and going through what we've experienced together – you've gotta prove it on the football field, but just the way they want to respond in practice has carried over – at least into these home games – the last two weeks.
Everything – including the placement of the Coke Zero bottle Saban once compared to the "Wizard of Oz" – is examined after a loss in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"The Florida State game was the best thing that happened to Alabama in the long term this season," McElroy said. "Whether that materializes or not, that's the sense I get. It taught them that they are vulnerable if they don't play well. It reminded them how important it is to be good on third down and fourth down offensively – and defensively, for that matter. It just reminded them at any moment you're not at your best, you can get got."
Will Alabama take the show on the road? This has been the leading criticism of the DeBoer era. Alabama has lost four of its last five true road games – and they have averaged eight penalties for 68 yards in those losses. Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma beat Alabama in SEC play last season. The Florida State loss followed. To McElroy's point, the Crimson Tide finished 5 of 17 on third down and 2 of 5 on fourth down.
McElroy, however, does not believe the narrative players were loafing. He said the weather – 100-degree temperatures and humidity – was a factor but not an excuse. There is a psychological element at play, however.
"It's in large part due to the second they get hit there becomes this immediate panic and a level of tightness that is unusual because the players want so badly to restore the 'Alabama standard,'" McElroy said. "Everyone wants that so badly. The players are good kids and they want it and work hard, but they get a little tight when things don't go their way."
Now, consider the audience.
How should Alabama fans view Kalen DeBoer?
Susie Conerly – a Guntersville, Ala., native, gained attention on Sept. 6 when she told WHNT (Huntsville, Ala.) News 19 what she would do with a $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot.
"I'll tell ya exactly what I'd do with the first $70 million – I'd pay off Kalen DeBoer and get him the heck out of the University of Alabama," Conerly said.
Jay Vassar, 56, lives in Athens, Ala. He's a life-long Alabama fan with family members who attended the school. He bought season tickets in 1992 – the year Gene Stallings led Alabama to a national championship with a 34-13 victory against No. 1 Miami in the Sugar Bowl. He laughed after watching the Conerly clip.
"It humors me some – but that's the way some of the older generation is," Vassar said. "They have that expectation of going undefeated every year."
Vassar also had difficulty with moving on from the Saban era, a notion which has been passed to the latest generation. He drove to the Vanderbilt game – a shocking 40-35 loss on Oct. 5, 2024 – with his 13-year-old son Slate. That loss was a reality check for the Vassars, who make frequent road trips across to opposing SEC schools. What was the message in the car ride home?
"I said, 'Son, it's not your daddy or your grand-daddy's Vanderbilt any more,'" Vassar said. "They are just as good as everybody else. We've got to face the facts."
Believe it or not, Vassar is right. A total of 13 SEC schools have one loss or less heading into the final week of September – and 10 SEC schools are ranked. Vanderbilt is 4-0 and ranked No. 18. Alabama is no longer head-and-shoulders above the conference competition, which was considered a birthright of sorts under Bryant and Saban.
Tim Estes, 57, also grew up at the end of the Bryant era. He's an engineer who prefers to watch the Crimson Tide alone. He remembers his first reaction to DeBoer's hiring.
"DeBoer from Washington? A Pac-12 coach?" Estes recalled. "Then, I got to look at some of his numbers, his record – then it was like, hmm, this guy is a good coach."
A 41-34 victory against No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 28, 2024 seemed to validate that. Then the road woes started.
"Last year he went to LSU – they looked awesome – they looked like a team that can beat anybody," Estes said. "Then, they fell apart against Oklahoma the next week. The up-and-down is concerning. I may be unlike some Alabama fans. I still have faith in DeBoer."
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DeBoer's demeanor also draws attention to a cross-section of Alabama fans that grew accustomed to Saban yelling at players and coaches and breaking headsets. Vassar felt that during the loss to Florida State.
"I was agitated at first because (DeBoer) showed no emotion on the sideline," Vassar said. "It reminded me of the (Mike) DuBose days because all he would do is get over there and clap his hands."
That loss led to a full-on pileup on DeBoer, which Estes said does not represent the entire fanbase. It's only magnified on social media. He does not believe that criticism reflects the attitude of most Alabama fans.
"He needs time," Estes said. "It is not time to press the panic button, but that debacle against Florida State and some of the debacles last year – I wasn't ready to sell Alabama or press the fire button – but it did raise some eye-brows."
McElroy, meanwhile, has a far different viewpoint. He believes that DeBoer's demeanor – especially in the big-game environments – is a major plus. Since 2022, DeBoer is 13-2 against top-25 teams with Washington and Alabama, including a 3-1 record last season.
"I think Kalen in a big game is incredible – because he is the most even-keeled, laid-back guy ever," McElroy said. "Nobody is more laid back than him on the sideline. In talking to some of the Washington coaches, he's sitting there looking up at the crowd before we take the interview, and he's like, 'Man, isn't this cool? This is so cool. Look at how fun this is. I can't believe we get paid to this.'"
How Georgia game impacts Kalen DeBoer's future at Alabama
During the bye week, DeBoer challenged players to examine their game-prep routine. He sees players using color-coded notes during team meetings. They watched other games last Saturday to see how other teams handled adversity. Georgia – which has a 33-game home winning streak – gives a chance to put that road-game narrative to rest.
"We've gotta be resilient," DeBoer said. "We know there are going to be storms that we're going to have to weather on the SEC on the road. You gotta do it. No one else is going to do it for you."
| DeBoer | Smart | |
| Overall | 25-6 | 27-4 |
| Vs. Top 25 | 13-2 | 10-4 |
Last year, Alabama jumped out to a 28-0 lead before Georgia rallied for a 34-33 advantage with 2:31 remaining. That set up Williams' 75-yard TD catch – which was the most memorable play in September during the 2024 season.
"It was great, then it was hard, then we found a way," DeBoer said. "You play because crazy things happen. You play because you love to compete and that's what our guys are going to do this Saturday."
Expectations vs. reality. This is the struggle for DeBoer and a fan-base that can no longer cling to the Saban era.
"The realities of the circumstances that Kalen DeBoer is currently undertaking are different than that of what Nick Saban had to undergo in the NIL era and the level of parity," McElroy said. "Alabama has a great roster, but they don't have the competitive depth they had during the Saban era."
McElroy does not believe that DeBoer's job security is a "real thing," even in an environment where UCLA's DeShaun Foster, Virginia Tech's Brent Pry and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy have been fired this month.
"My understanding of the situation is Kalen is very well liked and the team has responded well to him the last couple weeks," McElroy said. "Now, if they get beat by 30 by Georgia; I'm sure things will ratchet back up again. I don't think any of us anticipate something like that happening. I'm not sure it's rooted in anything other than people that are calling 'The (Paul) Finebaum Show' airing grievances."
That will happen if Alabama loses. Vassar agrees, and he realizes the comparisons to Saban will never stop throughout the DeBoer era. He will be watching that win or lose against the Bulldogs.
"That's the only thing for me and my buddies," Vassar said. "Saban showed that grit on the sideline. It didn't matter if you were a Jimmy or a Joe, he would get on you whether we were losing or we were up by 30."
Estes refers to the period of time between Bryant and Saban as "The Wilderness." Alabama fans are passionate – like any other fan-bases – and they are subject to the same emotions after a loss as everybody else. That is why a blowout loss would change the dynamics once again.
"A blowout?" Estes says before a pause. "I think a blowout would put a lot of doubt in me. Going to Georgia, a loss on the road can be expected, but you don't want to see an ugly loss on the road. That would … I'd put DeBoer on the hot seat."