Alabama assistant coach JaMarcus Shephard was fired up on Wednesday when responding to questions about junior Kendrick Law’s costly penalty in the Crimson Tide’s loss to No. 11 Tennessee. With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the No. 5 ranked team in the country had the ball facing a third-and-7 on their own 33-yard line while down 21-17 to the Volunteers.
After an incomplete pass, Alabama wideout Kendrick Law committed a personal foul which changed a potential fourth-and-7 to a fourth-and-22 for the Crimson Tide, leading to a critical turnover on downs. Tennessee won the game shortly after the penalty 24-17, giving first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer his second loss of the season, a result that is potentially devastating for a team with title aspirations.
Shephard’s message to Law after his game-sealing penalty was blunt, per Nick Kelly of AL.com. “It’s not just about you,” said the first-year co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. The penalty as Shephard put it, “took an opportunity away from them (the Crimson Tide) to enjoy a win because it was something you (Law) were worried about yourself.”
These comments echoed the words of DeBoer earlier in the week that the Crimson Tide, “have to make sure other people’s thoughts don’t become ours. We’ve got to make sure if someone’s talking to us, we’ve got to learn to walk the other way.” While this is a crucial takeaway from the first-year head coach and his embattled program going forward, this past weekend’s loss to Tennessee was a big hit.
Alabama’s Loss to Tennessee really hurt their College Football Playoff hopes
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The Alabama football team came into the year ranked No. 5 in the country on a huge collision course with No. 2 Georgia after starting the season with three dominant wins. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Milroe, Alabama defended their home turf against the Bulldogs in a 41-34 classic and became the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
It’s been downhill for DeBoer and company since then as the Tide have lost two out of their last three games, including an embarrassing loss to unranked Vanderbilt. Following that historic defeat, Alabama barely escaped another stunning upset at home against South Carolina. It didn’t get any better from there as Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel led his Volunteers to their second win against the Tide in three years, a major feat for a program that had lost 15 straight to their major rival prior to his tenure.
Still, with the 12-team playoff looming for the first time, there will still be plenty of opportunities for No. 15 Alabama to rise back up the ranks. DeBoer and Shephard will have to rally their players for upcoming ranked matchups against No. 21 Missouri and No. 8 LSU. Should the Crimson Tide suffer another defeat this football year, it will mark the first time since 2010 that the program has lost three games in a season.