TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama has done the unimaginable — losing back-to-back games.
When including the postseason, it hasn't been done by the Crimson Tide since 2013, as it fell to Auburn and then lost to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. The last time Alabama dropped consecutive regular-season contests was in 2007 — Nick Saban's first year as head coach.
Is the dilemma rooted in something beyond football itself? Is there a mental block? Does confidence play a role? Is Alabama now being physical enough? Toughness can be applied to each of these questions, and Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb discussed the current toughness of his unit, which tallied 10 points in the road loss to Tennessee this past Saturday.
"They're tough as hell. They're tough as hell," Grubb said during Monday's press conference. "Those kids didn't quit for one second, and I believe in them. Let's just line it back up and let's see where they're at at the end of the year. And I believe in these kids, and they are tough. They didn't quit.
"They fought hard even at the end of the game when things weren't perfect. I thought that they kept throwing punches, and the guys kept Keelon (Russell) up on the sideline. He was fighting with them and telling them, 'Hey, we can do this, we can do this.'"
Many of Alabama's losses over the past few years have stemmed from a poor start on either side of the ball. Saturday was no different, as the Crimson Tide offense didn't reach a positive number in the total yards count until roughly two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Thanks to some defensive stops in the red zone — two of which were set up by Alabama turnovers — The Crimson Tide only trailed 12-10 at halftime. In the 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament Elite Eight, Duke led Alabama 46-37 at the break. The Blue Devils were dominating, and yet the margin was single digits. Saturday in Knoxville had a similar vibe.
"In a game like that, you've got to be tough," Grubb said. "You've got to know, 'Hey, it's 12-7. It's 12-10.' You know, these are tight football games, and that's the part that I was proud of because for a young team, those are things that they stack up quick. All of a sudden, guys are thinking about the worst, and we talk a lot about our energy and our mindset and just where it's at, and being able to maintain that, and having the competitive standing to work through a tough football game like that."
Grubb acknowledged that "the defense kept us alive," and that there was "not quit on the sideline." Alabama is a young team, as a large majority of the transfers from the offseason are underclassmen. Grubb commended the offense for its emotional maturity.
"That's not like a consolation prize. It's the expectation that's what they should do, and that's how we should act," Grubb said. "But I think they are tough. I know they're tough, and we're going to see that come out this week."
But like the Duke game, Alabama's defense couldn't hold on much longer. Tennessee scored two touchdowns in the second half while Alabama didn't contribute to the scoreboard. Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Wommack was pleased with his unit's performance for a good chunk of the game, and the same is said for the unit's toughness. But it was far from a perfect afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
"I think this is a very tough group," Wommack said. "I think they're very physical. They play really hard. I think when you watch the way we're playing right now, there are things that we need to get corrected from a fundamental standpoint.
"I think sometimes we probably play too hard at times. We over-pursue at times, and there were some issues and miss-tackling in that regard. But from a physicality standpoint, I think that is something that we're doing a good job of.”
Head coach Kalen DeBoer and No. 13 Alabama have their backs against the wall. No three-loss program has ever made the College Football Playoff, and the same will all but certainly apply to the Crimson Tide should it drop another game.
It won't be easy to finish the regular season 5-0 either. The Crimson Tide will host Texas A&M on Oct. 24 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. After that, Alabama will face LSU in Baton Rouge. While the teams they lost to are different from Alabama, the Tigers also have two losses and are in a similar make-or-break boat.
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