Alabama football sits at a pivotal point in its first season under Kalen DeBoer.

The shocking loss to Vanderbilt can be only one bad night, or issues from that game could bleed into others. It’s up to the Crimson Tide (4-1, 1-1 SEC) to decide.

DeBoer was asked Monday what his message is to No. 7 Alabama after his first loss with UA as it prepares to face South Carolina on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“You stay the course,” DeBoer said. “That’s what the message is to the team. Now, stay the course, right, but everything is always just digesting what happened, having some perspective, and having the answers for the guys. That’s what we have to make sure we do as coaches, so we can walk away understanding what we can control, how we need to fix it, and just knowing that the next game, there’s going to be different matchups that are strengths for us. There’s also going to be different matchups and ways that an opponent attacks us. I’m not just talking offensively, but defensively. We’ve got to be ready.”

DeBoer said it’s important for any position group that has success not to “get all comfortable” but he doesn’t think Alabama has.

“Because you’re the one that might have the tough match-up the next week,” DeBoer continued. “As a team, that’s what it’s all about. You have to continue to work on your area, keep it within the team concept, stay the course and just keep fighting, keep playing and stick together. That’s, to me, the biggest thing and I’ve seen nothing but that here in the last 24, 48 hours.”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.