There were no College Football Playoff committee members in the press conference room underneath Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but it sounded like Kalen DeBoer was talking to them.
DeBoer’s message: Alabama will be a better team in two weeks because it will be healthier.
That was the theme as DeBoer went through a list of players who participated banged up and those who didn’t participate at all for the Crimson Tide in the 28-7 loss to Georgia on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game.
“If I went through, and I don’t think this is what this is about, if I went through the guys who we are gluing together, I know that locker room has the same situation going on,” DeBoer said. “You talk about Parker Brailsford, if you give these guys two weeks to get ready and what the health will look like for these guys, Parker Brailsford, (Germie Bernard), Daniel Hill. I’m not going to say what he’s playing through, but two weeks, it will be a different Daniel Hill. You execute, or you have a lack of execution in games because you probably didn’t have everyone out there working together in practice.”
Alabama played the game without starting left guard Kam Dewberry, starting running back Jam Miller, starting tight end Josh Cuevas and starting defensive lineman LT Overton.
Alabama also lost starting cornerback Zabien Brown during the game. Guard Geno VanDemark, who started the game for Dewberry, also left the game with an injury as well.
“I could keep going down the line,” DeBoer said.
DeBoer said Dewberry will be back for a potential playoff game. The same for VanDeMark. Miller is “not far away” from returning.
“We fully expect to have Jam back,” DeBoer said.
Kevin Riley, Miller’s backup who also missed the game “might be a little tight” to return for a game in two weeks, however.
“There’s a lot of guys,” DeBoer said. “I think that’s really what it comes down to is playing with your guys we got into this game today. The execution just wasn’t quite as crisp, but there’s usually a reason for that. Defensively, the same thing. Kelby Collins. LT (Overton). (Zabien Brown) in the game today dinged up. Dijon (Lee) a little bit before the game just with an evaluation we had that we had to kind of hold off. All those guys, in two weeks, a considerably different football team. It’s the one you would have seen earlier in the season.”
Alabama will learn its playoff fate at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday on ESPN.
