Everything Alabama Coach Nick Saban Said After 30-24 Ole Miss Win

The Crimson Tide was able to hold on for a narrow victory to beat the Rebels for the seventh straight time.

Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban liked the way his team competed after falling behind at No. 11 Ole Miss on Saturday. 

Here's what he had to say after No. 9 Alabama won 30-24:

“Really, really proud of our players in terms of the way they competed in the game. I think that’s the big thing that we wanted to get our players to get back to is, you’re responsible for the identity that you create and it’s personal in terms of how you play and how you compete in the game to try to dominate the guy you’re playing against. And I saw a lot of that in the second half, so we took a step in the right direction. 

"We had to overcome a lot of adversity in the game. We didn’t get off to a great start, but the players just kept playing one play at a time and made the plays at the end of the game that we needed to make.

“Jase McClellan, the offensive line stepped up in the second half. Defense had some big stops. They only scored once in the second half, got the stop when we needed to. I thought Bryce [Young] did a really good job of managing the game today. It was a tough night in a lot of ways but a great night for us because I think we took a step in the right direction as a football team, and I’m really proud of our guys for the way they competed in the game.”

On defensive lineman Byron Young's game:

“Byron played great. A Mississippi guy, so I’m sure he was fired up for the game. I thought he played great, but he’s played really well for us all year. He’s a good leader on the team. It means a lot to him. Glad to see him doing well.”

On running back Jahmyr Gibbs's injury status:

“He twisted his ankle.”

On McClellan’s performance: 

“I mentioned what a great job he did in the second half. He made some physical runs. The run he made on second-and-12, he basically did that on grit and determination. Really ran hard in the game, played physical. He’s played well for us all year. Jahmyr’s just played really well, too. So Jase stepped up tonight and took advantage of it, no doubt.”

On Quinshon Judkins and the Ole Miss running game: 

“He’s a good player. They’re tough when they spread you out with four wide receivers and they run the ball so well and they have such good backs. And he’s an outstanding player. Fast, physical, can make you miss, hard to tackle. And you’ve gotta try to stay in nickel, you can’t play dime, because you can’t stop the runs and you can’t really match up on the passes. So one of the things in the second half that helped us when we got some third-down stops is we stopped the run a few times. We got third and long so we could play dime, so we could match up on the passes and got a couple sacks and got off the field on third down, which was huge in the game.”

On freshman wide receiver Kendrick Law contributing so much:

“Kendrick Law has really come along. He’s a guy we really were hopeful would be a contributor. He pulled his hamstring several weeks ago, was out for a couple weeks, but now he’s back to full strength. He played really well on special teams a couple weeks. I thought he did a really good job, but he’s a guy we’ve been trying to get in the lineup now for some time.”

On his message to the offense after the fourth-down mess:

“It wasn’t a real good message. Obviously, a miscommunication on the snap count, the play, the shift, the motion. But I think those kinds of things, when you talk about – sometimes you’ve just gotta do simple things better. Simple things like focusing on doing your job, focusing on the snap count, focusing on who you’re blocking, focusing on what your eye control is in terms of what you’re looking at.

“You’ve gotta do simple things better, and that was the message that I gave to the team before the game, and they obviously got it right then when we were not doing simple things very well. But I think the offense really responded, especially in the second half. I was really, really pleased with the way they responded on the line of scrimmage to be able to run the ball effectively and to make plays on third down when we needed to and move the ball, control the ball and control field position in the game.”

On cornerback Eli Ricks taking a big hit on the first play:

“Eli Ricks is OK. I think his head is the issue. We haven’t been able to test him from a concussion protocol standpoint as of yet. But I saw him in the locker room. He’s OK.”

On what the team can take away from this:

“All I’ve been talking about is how the players competed in the game. I think they have a lot of pride in what the standard of playing at Alabama is. And they were challenged to play to that standard, to take it personal, to understand that they’re responsible for the identity that they create by how they play on the field. It shouldn’t be anybody else that makes that determination for them, and I think they took it personally and I think they showed it in the game tonight.”

On the fumble recovery right before halftime:

“It was huge. It set up a score, got us to 17-14 and from that time in, I thought we played a little better in the game on both sides of the ball. But that getting 17-14 at halftime,  nobody even talked about the score at halftime, which is exactly how we want it to be. Because the whole focus in this game was we’ve gotta play one play at a time for 60 minutes in the game and nobody’s looking at the scoreboard, and they competed that way.” 

Bryce Young 

On the play of Kendrick Law:
"He definitely gives us a look. As far as moving forward, that's a coach question, but I'm super happy for K Law, he works hard, so I'm not surprised he played the way he did."

On the two third down touchdown passes:
"We're just trying to execute. I mean obviously we all know how important those plays are, with it being third down. We all stepped up, it wasn't just me. I throw it and they have to catch it so we all contribute to those plays."

Byron Young

On what was different after halftime:
"I think we just came out with a different mindset. We knew we needed to get some stops so I think that's really what we were focused on, everybody executing and trying to be perfect on every single play. When they make a play, not getting our heads down."

On his team's play down the stretch:
"I think we just all executed. I really do think that's all it is. When you look at past games it's just come down to mental errors and poor execution so tonight I think we showed that when we execute we can be a good defense."

On the defense gaining momentum in the fourth quarter:
"I mean I wouldn't really say momentum, you know, we just started executing. Everybody started doing what they were supposed to do. It shows what we can be when everybody is doing what they're supposed to do."

See Also:

Alabama Showed Some Heart with Narrow Win at Ole Miss

No. 9 Alabama Football Escapes No. 11 Ole Miss, 30-24

Alabama Defense Steps Up in Second Half with Key Stops in Road Win

Jase McClellan, Run Game Spark Alabama's Second Half Offense

Forced Fumble Turned the Tide for Alabama against Ole Miss

Instant Analysis: No. 9 Alabama 30, No. 11 Ole Miss 24

What Lane Kiffin Said After Alabama Pulled Off 30-24 Victory at Ole Miss

Byron Young Leads Alabama Defense By Example in Win over Ole Miss

Notebook: Multiple Alabama Players Suffer Injuries in Win Over Ole Miss

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