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How Alabama's Kalen DeBoer responded to Malachi Moore's outburst in loss to Vanderbilt

At the end of Saturday's 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt, Alabama football safety Malachi Moore let his emotions show.

As Vanderbilt lined up in victory formation, the fifth-year safety kicked the football off the line of scrimmage, resulting in a Crimson Tide penalty. With just over a minute remaining, he was seen screaming toward the Alabama sideline and throwing his mouthguard across the field.

After the game, DeBoer said Moore was “a lot better in the locker room.”

“The guy puts everything into what he does,” DeBoer said. “Don’t make it okay. We want to be first class in everything we do. There are a lot of people who are very frustrated. The key is that we turn that frustration into something positive for the future and make sure that we remember what we're feeling here tonight and that we remember that when we show up tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday, the whole thing Season over. Malachi, I am 100% confident he can do this.”

Moore finished with 10 tackles and a tackle-for-loss in the Crimson Tide's 5-point loss to Vanderbilt.

Alabama safety Keon Sabb called Moore's behavior at the end of the game “unacceptable” and that the team “definitely needs to talk to him about his attitude and things on the field.”

“But he was quiet in the locker room,” Sabb said. “He was able to continue to be the leader he always was.”

Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson expressed sympathy for Moore, saying his “emotions were running high.”

And when Lawson talked about Moore, the linebacker made his feelings known.

“It hurt me when I see him like that because that’s my brother,” Lawson said. “Looking back, I think if there's anything I could have done throughout the week or even in the game, even just to make a play when we needed one, anything to help our team win. I think that's just his emotion. Tough game. Tough loss. But in the locker room you just tell him, just keep going. We have a long season ahead of us. Our goals are still there. We just have to get better.”

The frustration DeBoer saw in Moore came from “the work he puts in, the belief he puts in,” and the Alabama coach said that will continue even after the loss to Vanderbilt.

“We’re going to continue to believe in him,” DeBoer said. “He lets it out on the football field not just every game but every day when we train and train. E is very vocal and we need him to continue to do that.”

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.

By Vanessa

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