Alabama fans got a look behind the curtain of Kalen DeBoer’s first season, as the Crimson Tide’s 2024 campaign was the subject of a new documentary from Fox Nation titled The Tides That Bind: Inside Alabama Football. The six-part series concluded with its final episode on Wednesday.
For those who aren’t subscribed to Fox Nation, don’t worry. Tide Illustrated has been providing takeaways from the series. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from the finale.
Lawson discusses his injury
The episode begins with Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma. The highlights include Deontae Lawson’s season-ending ACL injury which occurred during the second quarter when the linebacker was trying to make a tackle on Sooners’ quarterback Jackson Arnold.
As Lawson is shown being helped off the field, DeBoer can be heard asking the linebacker’s status over the headset.
“Hey, would you say D-Law is down for the day,” DeBoer asked.
“Yes, he’s down for the day,” a voice answered back.
Later in the episode, Lawson explained the injury while rehabbing in the training pool.
"I tore my ACL," Lawson said. "Quarterback scrambled to his left. I was trying to chase him down. He planted to cut inside. I planted with him. But when I planted, I felt a little pop. But I still made the tackle."
The injury halted a productive season for Lawson. Over his previous 11 games, the team captain recorded 76 tackles, including 6.5 for a loss with two sacks, to go with four pass deflections an interception and a forced fumble.
"I was really just stunned," Lawson said. "Like no way. And I hear my guys calling like, ‘Come on, man. We need you.’ When I was in the tent, people were coming in there. Like Malachi [Moore] came in there, and I just broke down, man. I ain’t going to lie. I just broke down. I knew I would be out. Anytime I’m not out there, I don’t care if it’s a game, in the weight room, all that affects me. And it’s a tough pill to swallow."
Inside Alabama’s Iron Bowl goal-line stand
The most interesting on-field footage in the episode was of Alabama’s goal-line stand in the Iron Bowl.
After setting up a first-and-goal from the Alabama 2-yard line, Auburn failed to punch the ball in the end zone. Running back Jarquez Hunter was stopped for a 1-yard loss on first down before quarterback Peyton Thorne managed to gain 2 yards on second down. From there, the Tide stuffed Hunter again on third down, setting up a fourth-and-goal from the 2.
“There’s always certain plays, certain drives that will stand out to you in your career,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said in the documentary. “When you’re playing in your first Iron Bowl, you know what that means, but during the week of preparation, it’s just about finding a way to win the game. Some of the pageantry loses its luster until you get into a goal-line stand.
“You take a moment to feel the environment, our fans, the excitement in our players. There’s one singular goal that everyone’s focused on.”
Following Alabama’s third-down stop, Auburn lined up as if it was going to go for it on fourth down. After the Tigers unsuccessfully tried to draw the Tide offside they eventually took a delay of game penalty and settled for a field goal.
“They did that to kick a field goal,” an Alabama coach was heard saying over the headset. “Wow.”
DeBoer’s message after missing out on the playoff
The documentary also provided an inside look at Alabama’s team banquet a week after it learned it was not included in the College Football Playofff. While the result is not what the Tide hoped for, DeBoer delivered a speech to his players, praising them for their efforts in his first season.
“Today, just like you, I’m disappointed,” DeBoer said. “There might be a little frustration, anger setting in. I mean it can be a lot of different things. But I’m just going to tell you, I’m proud. There’s so many of you that were critical to us having a transition that was as smooth as it was. There’s not a journey that I appreciate more than the one than the one I’m on right now with you all.
“For some of you, it’s just the beginning. And for some of you, it’s the beginning of something new. To me, it’s never the end. There’s no one that’s ever going to question that we play extremely hard and we give everything we have as a football team.
“The only option we have is to continue to fight, continue to move forward, continue to be our best each and every opportunity we get. We’re going to continue to celebrate the successes and learn from where we fell short. We’re going to continue to grow, and we’re going to continue to set the stage for what this program will be in the future.”
