Kirk Herbstreit Has One-Word Reaction After Kalen DeBoer Gets Humiliated on Live TV

Doak Campbell got loud when the Crimson Tide fell to Florida State, and heading into week 3, that loss still lurks in the air. The only difference is, this time, it’s at Tuscaloosa. There is zero excuse for Kalen DeBoer and Co.’s lack of rhythm against the Noles, but the silver lining on the horizon was the Louisiana-Monroe game. A 73-0 bounce-back with QB Ty Simpson setting a dang seventeen consecutive pass record. The beat was back with Bama and Kalen DeBoer, but for how long? Because when we switched the cameras and headed straight to College GameDay, things felt off.

“Tennessee fans doing the FSU WAR CHANT while Bama HC was getting interviewed on College Gameday.” You cannot make this up. In the interview with Kirk Herbstreit, Kalen DeBoer was explaining the basics—their mental, and what they learnt from that FSU loss. But lo and behold, Tennessee fans couldn’t stop themselves from pouring salt on the wound. Even Herbie couldn’t help himself and shared the interview clip back on X with the caption, “Oops…😂 #CollegeGameDay.”

This “hilarious” moment further crystallizes a simple fact: Alabama’s margin for error has shrunk after the FSU shock. So now, as DeBoer and Co. turn to the Badgers, they need to stick with the fundamentals. Win the point of attack early, settle the quarterback with clean pockets, and avoid long third-down sequences that let Wisconsin chew the clock. If we go off the ULM game, it’s safe to assume that the coaching staff is going to lean even more into this run-pass balance.

Every Tide fan knows that this is the recipe that was completely lacking against FSU. We remember watching 6 run calls where the Tide offense managed to gain around 12 yards. Only. That is just devastating for a team standing on the SEC “big dogs” podium. But when ULM happened, the quick reads and max protection on long-down snaps were such a treat for the eyes. This is what the offense needs to recreate against the Badgers.

Moving on to the defense, though, it’s a different story. DeBoer must get the Tide off blocks, squeeze running lanes, and force Wisconsin into third-and-long. In the 2 games that Wisconsin played, it was clear that “big plays” were not the team’s forte. DC Kane Wommack knows what he is doing, so defensively, if the right buttons are pushed, Bama shouldn’t be at a big risk.

All in all, to beat the ghosts of Week 1 before heading into SEC games, the O-line needs to stabilize protection calls and limit turnovers, and the D-line needs to ensure forcing Wisconsin into tight situations. Saturday’s game at Bryant–Denny has already grown teeth—and the Crimson Tide will have to bite back. Otherwise, the Badgers will take this one home.

The Wisconsin Badgers are on a revenge run

83 straight home game wins against unranked teams. That is the record Luke Fickell is looking to erase. And not to mention, avenging last year’s 10-42 loss when Bama strutted through Camp Randall. So, can he do it? Well, “kind of”.

If Fickell and Co. have closely followed the FSU vs Bama game tapes, then it should be pretty clear to them that Ty Simpson under pressure is non-existent. FSU managed to produce a 42% pressure rate (without blitz, mind you). What did this translate to on the scoreboard? Just 5.9 yards in the air on 3rd downs. Wisconsin DC Jim Tressel is already on a roll when it comes to sack counts (8 in 2 games. That is close to half as much as Wisconsin managed to get in the whole 2024 season, aka, 17).

All Tressel needs to do is copy and paste that 2 game performance against Bama. Then there is the clock running. FSU pretty much proved that, although Bama has All-Americans on that D-line, they are still extremely susceptible to wearing down.

Noles QB Tommy Castellanos‘ constant attacks managed to break past that D-line despite not making explosive plays. It was the consistency that managed to poke a hole in Wommack’s defense. So, in simple terms, Fickell’s chances of winning this lie with his team being able to constantly poke the giant while also pressuring the pocket into collapsing.

This one is gonna be quite the spectacle, folks.