Alabama Seeks To Avoid Third Straight Loss To Unranked Opponent For First Time In 25 Years

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks to the scoreboard during a college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL.

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Alabama’s loss at Florida State to open the season was its second straight to an unranked non-conference opponent. Three straight such losses have not occurred in the lifetime of the average college student in Tuscaloosa, or since 2000 when Mike DuBose was in his final season as coach of the Crimson Tide.

The Tide, of course, has enjoyed much success in the past quarter century, including winning six national titles. There was not a hint of any such success in 2000 when DuBose’s squad lost at Tennessee (20-10), at home against UCF (40-38), which was in its fifth year in the FBS, and at LSU (30-28) three straight Saturdays as part of a larger five-game skid to conclude a 3-8 campaign.

Kalen DeBoer’s first season at Alabama wrapped up with a 19-13 loss in Tampa against Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This year’s opener in Tallahassee, a 31-17 final, made it two straight setbacks against unranked foes, and a loss Saturday against visiting Louisiana-Monroe would complete the hat trick.

Alabama, of course, should take care of business against ULM, which entered this season with the nation’s longest bowl drought. Bryant Vincent is the WarHawks’ fourth coach during the program’s active streak of 12 consecutive non-winning seasons.

While not consecutively, Alabama lost three times to unranked opponents in 2007, Nick Saban’s first season on the sideline at Bryant-Denny. The third such defeat was against, ironically, visiting Louisiana-Monroe.

Saban and his Crimson Tide had a major response to that loss against Charlie Weatherbie’s squad. Did they ever. Alabama reeled off 100 – 100!!! – consecutive wins against unranked opponents. It was a streak that finally came an end in 2021 at the hands of visiting Texas A&M – and the foot of Seth Small – on a 28-yard field goal as time expired. That was Saban’s fourth (124-4) and final loss against an unranked opponent and the only one since his aforementioned debut season at ‘Bama. DeBoer, 6-4 versus those outside the top 25, will have to win 118 straight to match that mark.

This week’s game against the WarHawks will not simply be about getting in the win column, but how the Crimson Tide executes on both sides of scrimmage ahead of next week’s visit from Wisconsin and, following a bye, the start of SEC play at Georgia on September 20.

There were many flaws in the loss to Florida State, which is not a surprise for a team, any team, in a season opener. What was a surprise is how the Tide failed to respond in losing their first season opener since 2001 (UCLA) under Dennis Franchione, who succeeded the deposed DuBose.

Perhaps most glaring was how ‘Bama got pushed around at the line of scrimmage, the explanation point being the 230 yards the Seminoles piled up on the ground. Offensively, a 13-yard run by Kevin Riley on a 75-yard TD drive to open the game was the Crimson Tide’s lone run of at least 10 yards. The ‘Noles made the necessary adjustments and Alabama did not.

By the way, the Tide’s recent visits to the Sunshine State have not been too fruitful. In addition to the setbacks against the Wolverines and Seminoles, an early-season 2023 win in Tampa against USF was an unsightly affair in what was quarterback Ty Simpson’s most significant playing time prior to Florida State.