'Great togetherness, good leadership': Nick Saban on Alabama's victory over Kentucky, winning the SEC West
Updated: 8:15 PM CST Nov 11, 2023
Look, I'm really proud of this team. Uh This team's come *** long ways these guys have worked hard. Um There's great togetherness, good leadership on the team. *** lot of guys have made significant improvement, uh, because they stayed positive and stayed the course in terms of, uh, listening to what the coaches had to say about what they needed to do to improve and, uh, actually have really good relationships uh with each other on this team. So I was really pleased that, uh, the team didn't buy into, you know, the rat poison or whatever you wanna call it. I thought this was *** little bit of *** trap game and, uh, I actually asked the players yesterday in, in the team meeting to stand up and say what they had to do each position, each leader at each position. And I told them before the game, I trusted that they would go out and do that and that's exactly what they did. So I trust in these guys that they're gonna do the right things, make good choices and decisions, which is gonna help them, uh, continue to grow and develop, uh, as *** team and hopefully finish business throughout, you know, the rest of this season, uh, in terms of what we have to do to, um, continue to, to get better and see if we can create an opportunity for ourselves. Um, obviously, it's great that we won the West and gonna have an opportunity to play in the SEC championship game, uh, which I'm very happy for this team, uh, that they were able to accomplish that. I think there's probably very few people after the Texas game or the South Florida game. *** lot of naysayers out there never really believed in these guys, but I've always believed in this team and trusted in this team that they would develop into something, uh, that's special and it has been special. It's been *** great experience to see them grow and develop, uh, and the confidence that you need to, you know, play really, really well. Uh I think they were sort of excited about the fact *** couple of guys came up to me and, you know, I always talk to them about when we play on the road, you know, if you empty the stadium, um, that means, you know, you really beat the other team. So *** couple of guys made ***, I didn't use that in this game, but they certainly got the message and said, hey, coach, look around. So I'm pretty proud of them the way they played today. And obviously, there's some things that we can correct and fix. We made some errors that obviously we busted on the 60 yard run at the end of the game when we put the twos in there. But, uh, these are all learning experiences that these guys will have an opportunity to, to, to get better at, you know, Jaden played really well. I thought, you know, the offense started the game out and set the tempo of the game, um, extremely well. Uh, he played extremely well. Um, the whole idea was the way they play on defense is take what the defense did, gives and we nickel dimed him in the first couple of drives and then we hit *** couple of big plays. So I thought they did *** great job on offense and great team win for us inside that you closer. We'll start with Nick. Yeah, you talk, you talk about ji and, uh, no, but as far as this team's overall resiliency that, that he's shown that same quality. How have you seen that from him through the course of the season? The resiliency that j um, well, you know, I guess that's what I was trying to explain, um, that these guys have had great perseverance, showing great resiliency. Uh, been able to, you've heard me say this before, manage hard, uh, whenever things got hard, they always seem to come up with, we can come back in the game when we're behind 7 to 6, we can come back in the game when we're behind 20 to 6, uh, we can make plays when we need to make them. Um, so I think that comes from confidence, but I also think it comes from believing in each other and believing in what you're doing. And coaches have always do *** also done *** really good job of selling the players on, hey, if you do it this way, you're gonna have success. Yeah, coach over, we got the right. How important was it for this defense to step up and just shut down the wedding team? Well, I think that was the key to the, to the drill. I mean, controlling the line of scrimmage in this game against this type of team who prides himself on being *** physical team, I think um was, you know, like our number one objective and I, I think we wanted to make them one dimensional. Uh I think we did except for the last run where we didn't have any run support on that side. But um yeah, I, I think it was really important that we won on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball on that side with Chris. Hey, Nick, what's the challenge been like for you to get this team affects itself? We've got *** lot of challenges. Yeah, but you know, it's been fun. Um It really has been fun to see II I think that, you know, it seems like every team we've had in recent years, there's these huge expectations and you never want the expectations to impact you. But because there was such high expectations, you know, it was almost like you were relieved, you know, to, uh, get the players to be where they needed to be so they could have success with this team. I didn't, I didn't have those kind of expectations. You know, I knew we could be, be good. II, I believed in them, but I knew it was gonna be *** work in progress. So it was like every day, um, you're just trying to teach lessons that will help them grow and develop and they've done *** great job of that and it's been fun and, and I, I didn't put any expectations on them or myself and they've, you know, sort of blowing it out of the water in terms of how well they've done. In fact, my stuff with Kool Aid, I took them off and he had *** big return in the third quarter instead of to touch them slow. Understandable. Stay with them. What do you mean? Stay with them? What, what, what, what, what would you do with him? I mean, I love the guy. He's *** good returner. Look, the gunner on that side ran into him when he missed the punt. All right, that's the gunner's responsibility. You know, you can't look up and catch *** ball and worry about somebody that's running down the field blocking for you running into you. So, um he tried to fair catch the ball. Um I, I got every confidence in the world. He's been *** good player for us and I, I just think the players around him have to do *** little bit better job because, you know, when you get these radical punts, I wanna call them, you know, you don't get like easy balls to field. Uh You got to cover *** lot of ground to catch it and that launch point of where he's catching the changes for the people that are blocking for him. So I'm not making excuses for anybody, but you can't blame him for that one. in my opinion, um, and I think that, you know, he did *** great job of sticking it up the middle. We ran mostly middle returns today. So and it was good to see us get one off off off to *** big play right to say that the injuries you guys are coming in and building their well. Well, and then secondly, any update on the guys. Yeah. Well, you know, we had more guys out today than probably ever before, you know, with Corey Brooks and Jermaine Burton, Jermaine is just sick. I mean, he was so sick, he, you know, couldn't even make the trip. Um And uh hopefully, you know, he'll get better. Uh And that won't be *** long term thing. Uh D Coy's got *** shoulder ZMT everybody knows he's got *** thigh injury. Um, it'll be day to day again this week, same thing with Lawson. Um, so we'll just have to, you know, see how it goes. But I was really pleased with the way the guys that filled in today and took their place and we had to shift guys around in the secondary. Um, but I thought Trez Marshall who has been hurt himself did *** good job today and so did uh Jihad. So, um those guys got some valuable experience and that's gonna help us down the road. I think um having some diversity and how we can play players and then you, you've had *** lot of success with the explosive plays, but you mentioned nickel and diming them on some of those drives. How important was that to show that? You know, it's not just the explosive for the Yeah, I think that's important. In fact, you know, there was *** couple of times when, you know, we threw the ball down the field that if we, we stayed with that, just take what they give you. We probably would have moved the chains. Um But I thought we did *** really good job overall taking advantage of that, but look *** five yard pass is just as good as *** five yard run. It's second and five and you keep the keep things moving. So we did *** good job on third down again today. So kept the ball quite *** bit. So, I think that was *** real positive for us. Finish your ball. All right, with Katie. How important do you think the Byre was for Mill Room? Uh, the last two games out of it, he has two touchdowns just, I mean, 1010 touchdowns, whether it was just getting his legs back under him or maybe, um, building more ti, um, you, you know, you'd have to ask him if the bi week, you know, I don't know if he took some Geritol or what, but, um, I mean, that's my medicine that I use. So as old folks, um No, II, I, you'd have to really ask him. I mean, I thought he was playing really well before the bye week. Uh Obviously, you know, the bye week helps *** lot of players, um you know, sort of recalibrate self, assess how their plan be able to work on some of the things that have been issues or problems for them, uh which helps them improve. Um You know, you don't have the pressure of another game plan, you know, during *** bi week. So you can kind of focus on what you need to do. So that's probably *** good thing for all players. But, um you know, I think his confidence is growing and I think the, that has the confidence of the players around him has grown and our production and performance has sort of mirrored that uh confidence. All right, Thank you. All right, thank you. I appreciate it.
'Great togetherness, good leadership': Nick Saban on Alabama's victory over Kentucky, winning the SEC West
Updated: 8:15 PM CST Nov 11, 2023
With a career-high of six touchdowns, three each rushing and passing, Sophomore QB Jalen Milroe led Alabama to a 49-21 victory over Kentucky at home in Lexington Saturday to secure the SEC West."This team's come a long ways, said coach Saban following the game. "These guys have worked hard. There's great togetherness, good leadership on the team. A lot of guys have made significant improvements because they've stayed positive and stayed the course in terms of listening to what the coaches had to say about what they needed to do to improve and actually have really good relationships with each other on this team."After early-season talk about its dominance waning, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are back on a familiar perch in the Southeastern Conference and bound for a destination it knows well.鈥淚t鈥檚 great we won the West and have the opportunity to play for an SEC championship," said Saban. "I think there were very few people after the Texas game and the South Florida game...a lot of naysayers didn鈥檛 believe in these guys. But I always believed in this team that they would develop into something that's special.鈥漌ith Alabama winning over Kentucky and Missouri beating Tennessee the SEC Championship game is officially set between Alabama and Georgia.Nick Saban and his long-time assistant Kirby Smart will now go head-to-head once again with the SEC on the line. Watch Saban's full presser in the video player above.This article contains information from the Associated Press
With a career-high of , three each rushing and passing, Sophomore QB Jalen Milroe led Alabama to a 49-21 victory over Kentucky at home in Lexington Saturday to secure the SEC West.
"This team's come a long ways, said coach Saban following the game. "These guys have worked hard. There's great togetherness, good leadership on the team. A lot of guys have made significant improvements because they've stayed positive and stayed the course in terms of listening to what the coaches had to say about what they needed to do to improve and actually have really good relationships with each other on this team."
After early-season talk about its dominance waning, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are back on a familiar perch in the Southeastern Conference and bound for a destination it knows well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great we won the West and have the opportunity to play for an SEC championship," said Saban. "I think there were very few people after the Texas game and the South Florida game...a lot of naysayers didn鈥檛 believe in these guys. But I always believed in this team that they would develop into something that's special.鈥�
With Alabama winning over Kentucky and Missouri beating Tennessee the SEC Championship game is officially set between Alabama and Georgia.
Nick Saban and his long-time assistant Kirby Smart will now go head-to-head once again with the SEC on the line.
Watch Saban's full presser in the video player above.
This article contains information from the Associated Press