DeBoer steps in front of the criticism aimed at his offensive coordinator

Alabama's offense had a miserable afternoon in Knoxville, and somebody was going to answer for it. Head coach Kalen DeBoer made sure the blame did not land solely on his play-caller: after the 26-10 loss to Tennessee, DeBoer shielded offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb from the criticism aimed at the Crimson Tide's offense.

The numbers show why the questions came. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell threw for just 147 yards with two interceptions, and the Tide's leading rusher managed only 34 yards against a Tennessee defense that controlled the game from start to finish. When an offense produces that little, the coordinator is the obvious target — and DeBoer chose to absorb the heat himself.

For Tennessee, this is the flip side of a statement win: the program on the other sideline holding its staff together in public. DeBoer's defense of Grubb keeps Alabama's focus on fixing things internally, but it also underlines what the Vols accomplished — they made one of the nation's proudest offenses look ordinary.