Kalen DeBoer Says There's 'Fine Line' Between Alabama's Historic CFP Loss and Success

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer believed that the Crimson Tide still came close to achieving their ultimate goals despite suffering a lopsided 38-3 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.

"It may not feel like it when you're in this moment right now and what happened today, but I can tell you it's a fine line between being here and being at the top," DeBoer said after the game, per ESPN's Kyle Bonagura. "We got to put the work in, you got to believe, you got to be consistent, you got to have discipline and we'll get back to work and start all over again."

Alabama's 35-point defeat represented the worst postseason loss in school history (h/t Bonagura).

Indiana set the tone early in Thursday's contest, taking a 17-0 lead at halftime and never looking back. The Crimson Tide were never able to pull to within striking distance, as they compiled just 193 total yards.

Alabama's scoring defense ranked No. 3 in the SEC by allowing 17.9 points per game, but the Hoosiers routinely moved the chains and picked up 22 first downs on Thursday. Indiana finished the game with 407 yards of total offense.

Alabama's journey to the CFP was admirable, bouncing back from a season-opening loss to Florida State and earning one of the final at-large playoff bids before defeating Oklahoma in the first round.

Still, the 38-3 loss to Indiana to go along with a 28-7 defeat against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6 shows that DeBoer's squad has room to grow.