Hours after his players were panned by Kirk Herbstreit on ESPN's GameDay program for what Herbstreit alleged has been increased trash-talking by the Crimson Tide, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer praised the group's ability to rally from behind to topple South Carolina Saturday afternoon.
Alabama trailed the Gamecocks, who entered off a blowout-loss at home to LSU, 19-14 to open the fourth quarter. The Tide won, 27-25.
"The ups and downs of the game, we just continued to stay the course," DeBoer told ABC on the field after the game. "I'm proud of our leaders and the composure they showed and how that's trickling out to the rest of the team."
While DeBoer praised his team's mettle in the immediate moments after the win, earlier Saturday morning Herbstreit, the former Ohio State quarterback who is ESPN's top college football analyst, had taken issue with the Tide's on-field antics through the season's opening two months.
"The trash-talking from Alabama ... the one thing, I'd text Coach (Nick Saban) after winning a national championship or big game is (to say), 'Man, I always respect the way your teams play. The way they play.'," Herbstreit said, with Saban on set beside him.
"You used to never see them talking to an opponent.
"This Alabama team is more busy talking to the opponent and the opponents fans than they are about execution. That's all brand new, in my opinion, (from) Alabama."
Herbstreit then called out Tide captain Malachi Moore, who last week in the waning moment's of Alabama's stunning loss at Vanderbilt kicked a football away from an official and also flung his mouthpiece across the turf.
"Malachi Moore, who came out and apologized, kicking the football," Herbstreit said. "Not Alabama to me.
"Hopefully, they clean that up and focus on the game."
Though the Tide were flagged for seven penalties, they kept their composure late even as the Gamecocks recovered an onside-kick and had an opportunity to perhaps win the game.
Instead, Domani Jackson intercepted the LaNorris Sellers pass and the Tide kept alive their College Football Playoff hopes going into next weekend's game at Tennessee.