Alabama's Kalen DeBoer says Dijon Lee penalty cost the Tide against Georgia

Kalen DeBoer told reporters that the moment Alabama lost to Georgia came from a lack of composure, not a lack of talent. After No. 6 Alabama lost at home to No. 2 Georgia, the Crimson Tide coach pointed to a personal foul by freshman defensive back Dijon Lee and said his team had not handled its emotions when it counted most.

HEAVY reported, in a story syndicated by Yahoo Sports, that DeBoer believed the penalty cost Alabama the game. He also said the staff thought it had already dealt with this kind of mistake. DeBoer said the program preaches emotional maturity and that he had felt confident his roster had it. "We never expected that to happen," DeBoer said, according to HEAVY.

The Alabama coach was not questioning whether his team could match Georgia's talent or whether it was prepared. His complaint was narrower and, for a program with title expectations, harder to accept. In his view, Alabama gave a top opponent an opening it did not need to give. DeBoer noted that the same kind of play had gone Alabama's way a year earlier, at about the same point in the game. This time the Tide were on the wrong end of it. He said that when the situation came up again, his team did not respond the right way.

HEAVY pointed out that one personal foul does not account for the whole result, and Alabama had other chances to change the outcome. It also noted that Lee is a young player whose development should not be judged by a single snap. DeBoer's public comments still made clear where he thinks the margin went, and that avoidable mistakes will not be accepted in games of this size.

The loss is Alabama's second of the season. Georgia stays unbeaten and keeps control of the SEC race at the midpoint, while the Tide now have little margin left in the conference standings and the playoff picture.

The schedule offers no break. Alabama goes to Knoxville next Saturday to face Tennessee in another league game on the road. On Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, Alabama is favored at -292. The spread has Tennessee getting 6.5 points, and the total is 55.5. FanDuel has the best sportsbook price on the Tide at -235. Full numbers are on the Alabama at Tennessee odds page. Alabama will be playing in front of a hostile crowd days after its coach publicly questioned its composure, so discipline will get as much attention as the matchups.

Georgia comes home to face Auburn. The Bulldogs are favored at -900 on Novig and by 18.5 points on the spread, and Hard Rock Bet has the best sportsbook price on Georgia at -1400. That game is tracked on the Auburn at Georgia odds page.

For DeBoer, the message this week is simple. Alabama still has the talent to compete with anyone in the league, but he wants that talent matched by the maturity to avoid handing away close games.