Alabama football lands into “look at yourself in the mirror” territory. Tennessee mauled Alabama 26-10 on Saturday and knocked ‘Bama out of the top 10. Even quarterback Keelon Russell found himself questioning his own play in Knoxville.

So where does the blame lie here? Does it solely fall on coach Kalen DeBoer's shoulders or are there other elements that must be presented?

Regardless, Alabama absorbed its second straight defeat at the hands of coach Josh Heupel and a relentless Volunteers defense. Time to find out where ‘Bama is most to blame following its debacle in Rocky Top.

DeBoer's loyalty toward Ryan Grubb comes into question

DeBoer has leaned heavily into his offensive coordinator Grubb at three different spots. Both were together at Fresno State during the era of Jake Haener at quarterback. Then the coaches collaborated together for Washington's 2023 run to the National Championship Game, before falling to Michigan.

Alabama is now the third time both have worked together at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. But now fans are believing DeBoer must make a business move moving forward: Finding a new OC.

Grubb's play-calling and scheme struggled immensely in Knoxville, plus against Georgia the previous week. Well, 247Sports Alabama insider Mike Rodak rolled out this uneasy looking trend attached to Grubb: Lowest yardage output in big games, six contests in general.

Alabama's 6 lowest yardage games since 2015 have all come under Kalen DeBoer, including 4 with Ryan Grubb at OC:

193 yards vs. Indiana (loss) — Ryan Grubb
201 yards at Tennessee (loss) — Ryan Grubb
209 yards vs. Georgia in SEC CG (loss) — Ryan Grubb
234 yards at Oklahoma in…

— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) October 18, 2026

Looks like DeBoer must do one or two things: Reclaim play-calling duties or allow Grubb to seek other coaching opportunities elsewhere. It's looking more like this longtime collaboration is heading towards an end, as ‘Bama fans grow more restless.

Kalen DeBoer not off the hook either

DeBoer once carried an astonishing 67-3 overall record from Sioux Falls University over to the FBS level. He eventually went a combined 37-9 with Fresno State and Washington, which were both two-season stints.

While holding a 25-10 mark looks impressive elsewhere, it's not the case at Alabama.

Tide fans got spoiled with Nick Saban thrashing SEC foes, then winning six national championships between the 2009 to 2020 seasons. And Saban made sure his Tide teams won the biggest regular season contests before going on their title runs.

DeBoer is giving fans the reverse of that. Already he's lost to two ranked foes, including one in Tuscaloosa this season. But it gets deeper from there.

Alabama still hasn't won both a national title or even SEC crown under DeBoer. Plus the Tide took an embarrassing Rose Bowl loss to an Indiana team that owns the most losses among FBS teams, which eventually led to IU claiming the national title. The Tennessee defeat adds a new black mark for DeBoer.

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Past Alabama identity becoming missing

Russell indeed endured one of his worst outings ever. But a past Tide identity went missing too in Knoxville.

Alabama watched the ground attack become a non-factor. Daniel Hill led the charge with hitting a dismal 34 yards on the evening.

This is the same program that turned Mark Ingram II into a Heisman Trophy winner. Plus developed Derrick Henry into a future 2,000-yard rusher in the NFL. Najee Harris and Jahmyr Gibbs emerged as first round backs under Saban too.

Shockingly, Alabama hasn't produced a single 100-yard back since the 45-17 trouncing of nationally-ranked Kentucky. Hill settled for 104 yards that afternoon against the now No. 12 Wildcats.

Sure, DeBoer wants to do things his way in Tuscaloosa. But that's not working well with the fans. He's going to need to pivot back to past Saban/Alabama staples to save what's left of Alabama's SEC title game and College Football Playoff pursuit.