Alabama is in panic mode at the moment. After entering the season as the No. 8 school in the nation, according to the AP Poll, the season-opening encounter against Florida State shone a light on the deficiencies of Kalen DeBoer’s team. The Seminoles dominated the Crimson Tide, winning 31-17.
Now, there seems to be a need to find a scapegoat for this debacle. Tight end Josh Cuevas seems to think that the media should look to the team’s coaching staff, not the players, when looking for an explanation of why things went the way they did.
Alabama TE Josh Cuevas on what changed after opening drive: “All I can say is I was out there. We were kind of doing what we were told. That’s not really a question I can really answer. It’s more of a Coach Grubb kind of answer. Kind of him calling plays and his rhythm and just…
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) September 2, 2025
“All I can say is I was out there. We were kind of doing what we were told. That’s not really a question I can really answer. It’s more of a Coach Grubb kind of answer. Kind of him calling plays and his rhythm and just how we’re fitting into it.”
Regardless of whose decisions led to such a poor result, something is clear: Alabama has a lot to change this week if it wants to have a successful season.
Kalen DeBoer’s reaction to Alabama’s defeat to Florida State
Immediately after the game ended at Doak S. Campbell Stadium, Kalen DeBoer spoke with the press. He tried to keep high hopes about his team’s chances for the season:
“I choose to believe we got a good football team,” DeBoer said. “But we can’t play on our heels. We’re not going to be what we think we can be, what we want to be, if that’s the case.”
However, it’s impossible not to think that this was a must-win game for the Tuscaloosa program. Only at the end of the season will we know how much impact the defeat will have on Alabama’s College Football Playoff (CFP) hopes, but at the moment, it seems like they can’t afford to take one more bad step if they want to make the postseason tournament in December.
Alabama went from No. 8 in the nation to No. 21, while Florida State went from unranked to No. 14.
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