TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer still believes in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after a recent loss to Tennessee. 

The Alabama Crimson Tide offense struggled in the 26-10 loss in Neyland Stadium, recording 210 total yards and only emerged with 22:07 of possession time. The Tide scored 10 points in the first half and failed to score in the second half. 

There were also struggles with extending drives as Alabama went 2-for-13 on third downs and committed four costly turnovers. 

Following back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee, where Alabama was either scoreless or limited in the second half, many Alabama fans took to social media calling for Grubb's job and expressing concern about the efficiency of the Alabama offense with Grubb at the helm.

However, DeBoer believes that Grubb is a great play-caller, and everything comes down to execution and consistency.

“I think he’s a great play-caller. There are a lot of scenarios that go into struggling at times as an offense. It ultimately all comes down to execution,” said DeBoer during Monday's routine media availability.

DeBoer also mentioned Grubb’s tendency to be critical of his own performance. According to DeBoer, this has been a consistent mindset throughout their long relationship.

“The thing about Ryan is that he’s evaluating and critical of himself. This has gone back to 15 to 20 years of knowing him.”

Grubb spoke before DeBoer and backed up DeBoer’s words, saying he is critical of his own preparation and takes responsibility for not being better prepared against the Vols.

“I thought I had a good plan. This is not a point-the-finger-at-the-kids kind of day; this is more pissed off. I thought I had them ready to play and I didn’t,” said Grubb.

The SEC is no rest for the weary, and the best way for Alabama to overcome back-to-back offensive slumps is by putting its best foot forward and searching for the offensive boost that led them to score 40-plus points through the first five weeks of college football.

The Tide return to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, hosting the Texas A&M Aggies for homecoming. The Aggies may not have the best record in the SEC or college football in general, but they have been a dominant third-down defense, ranking 11th in FBS in defensive third-down conversion percentage. 

If Grubb and the Alabama offense perform well against a talented Aggies defense, this could be a shift in discourse around the unit, and the Tide could regain ground in the College Football Playoff conversation.