How will Kalen DeBoer approach Alabama-Eastern Illinois? What the 2024 Mercer win tells us

Kalen DeBoer's plan for Alabama football is not changing during Eastern Illinois week.

The experiences the Crimson Tide has gone through and the maturity DeBoer has seen Alabama cultivate create the same expectations for the Panthers as Oklahoma the week before, or Auburn the week after.

"That is focus on us. You remind the guys of that, they remind themselves of it," DeBoer said on his "Hey Coach" radio show Wednesday, Nov. 19. "And especially with where we're at in the season, and understanding that we need to get better every single day. We still have a lot of goals in front of us. And so the process that we are going through this week is the same one we'd normally go through."

With SEC championship and College Football Playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Alabama will take the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the final time in the 2025 regular season, facing not only an FCS team, but an FCS team that has struggled with a 3-8 record, one that has lost each of its last six games.

How will DeBoer and Alabama approach Eastern Illinois? More than likely, it will be similar to how DeBoer and Alabama approached Mercer in the Crimson Tide's 52-7 win against the Bears a year ago.

Here's what Crimson Tide fans should expect from Eastern Illinois.

Expect Alabama football to play all three scholarship QBs

Alabama played each of its scholarship quarterbacks against Mercer.

Starting quarterback Jalen Milroe played into the third quarter, leading the Crimson Tide on an 10-play touchdown drive to give the Crimson Tide a 31-point lead. Ty Simpson took over in the middle of the third quarter and led Alabama on two drives, one of which ended in a 1-yard Richard Young touchdown run. Dylan Lonergan and Austin Mack split Alabama's final 16-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, ending in a 31-yard Mack touchdown pass to Rico Scott.

According to Pro Football Focus, Milroe led quarterbacks with 40 snaps. Simpson had 21 snaps, Lonergan had 12 snaps and Mack had five snaps.

Alabama has played all three scholarship quarterbacks only once in 2025: a 73-0 win against Louisiana Monroe where Simpson, Mack and freshman Keelon Russell each played 13 snaps. The Crimson Tide should have a chance to do the same against Eastern Illinois.

Will Alabama OL remain consistent vs Eastern Illinois?

As long as Simpson is in against Eastern Illinois, Alabama's starting offensive line should be in as well.

For Milroe's 40 snaps against Mercer in 2024, Kadyn Proctor, Tyler Booker, Parker Brailsford, Geno VanDeMark and Wilkin Formby each played at least 40 snaps. The Crimson Tide's second-team offensive line played most of the rest of the way, while Alabama split time at center between VanDeMark and Joseph Ionata.

Brailsford's status for Alabama vs. Eastern Illinois remains unclear after he was seen in a walking boot leading up to the game, paving the way for extended looks from Ionata and VanDeMark. Nevertheless, linemen like Jackson Lloyd, William Sanders and Olaus Alinen should get extended looks against the Panthers.

Alabama's defense should continue to rotate

Against Mercer in 2024, 18 Alabama defensive players recorded at least one tackle. No defensive player played more than safety Malachi Moore's 41 snaps, while six played more than 30.

Alabama has been known to rotate defensively. Kane Wommack leads a unit where 24 players have played at least 50 snaps, per PFF.

Against ULM in Week 2, freshman cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. was the only defender with more than 30 snaps. Expect a similar approach from Wommack against Eastern Illinois.

Don't expect many Alabama stat-padding performances

Don't expect a breakout performance from one single Alabama player.

Against Mercer, Alabama had 508 yards of offense, averaging nearly 7 yards per play. But that production was spread out. Germie Bernard led all receivers with 81 receiving yards on four catches. Milroe led all backs with 43 rushing yards for a room that averaged 4.5 yards per touch. Milroe and Mack connected with three different receivers, while three different backs added rushing touchdowns.

In the Crimson Tide's 73-0 win against ULM, Simpson, Mack and Russell combined for 371 passing yards, seven touchdowns and a 87.8% completion rate. No rusher had more than 76 yards, and no receiver had more than 67 yards.

Alabama should spread the love on both offense and defense against Eastern Illinois.

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. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Kalen DeBoer will approach Alabama vs Eastern Illinois?