What Alabama Offensive Coordinator Nick Sheridan Said After Dominating LSU

The Crimson Tide play caller had such a strong game in Baton Rouge he was able to take a victory stroll.

Mar 6, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan gestures as he gives instructions during practice of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team Wednesday. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan spent time in the Naylor Stone Media Suite in the Mal Moore Athletic facility on Monday to talk about the Crimson Tide's impressive performance against the LSU Tigers and begin setting up this week's game against the Mercer Bears.

Full Transcript

On pre-snap adjustments for LSU vs. previous road games:

"We certainly evaluated what we had done in the past and then tried to just alter some of the lines of communication. There wasn’t anything drastically different, we just did a better job of it."

On how big the win was on on the road and what he told team about playing in hostile environment:

"I don’t think the confidence of the group has waivered. We’re looking forward to another opportunity in an environment like that to play better, and so, we did that. I was excited for the players because I knew they were itching to get back into an environment like that against a quality opponent on a big stage. And so, they handled it better than we had in the past, certainly. And so, I was proud of them, and there’s a lot of work to be done still, and we know that there’ll be other moments where we'll need to improve on thing that we’ve done previously. And so, that’s really the focus, but I was proud of them on how they handled the environment." 

On whether LSU was Alabama’s best game for pass protection:

"I think we were efficient running the football and that kept us out of some situations that allowed them to rush. And I certainly felt like up front, the guys did a great job, both in the run game and the protection. There was certainly time for Jalen (Milroe) back there to go through reads. And I thought Jalen was very decisive in the pocket as well. He threw the ball into some check downs, he got the ball out of his hand. I thought the staff did a nice job, collectively, of putting together some plays that allowed him to do that, and certainly, the players deserve credit for bringing that to life. So I think it was a combination of things. Trying to stay on some of those situations. I know I had mentioned that early in the week, about being efficient on first and second down, trying to stay out of some really tough spots where there’s really no guesswork on if it’s a run or a pass, and so we certainly handled that well, and having no sacks in that environment, the credit belongs to the players for their execution in those moments."

On postgame victory lap:

"I was just trying to, the game was essentially over, and the only thing that was left was just us taking a knee when we got the ball back, and so, just trying to get down to the people that you care about and enjoy those moments. Those brief moments that you have in those type of environments. So I was just happy for the players, their families, everybody that put in so much hard work into every week, and so to be able to get down there at the end, not just myself but the other guys that are up in the box, it was a special moment and I was glad I was able to do it."

On execution on third-and-longs

“Combination. Certainly, that was a point of emphasis over the break. We did not execute well in the previous two games on third down. It was not a surprise. That was no secret. So we certainly looked at it closely over the break, what we were doing, what LSU was going to present to us in those situations to try to be better, and we were. So that was certainly a critical point in the game or a critical factor in the game was our ability to stay on the field and execute on third down.”

On Jam Miller, RBs growth as pass catchers

"I think both him and Justice have had good moments catching the ball out of the backfield. Third downs, just keeping the chains moving. Both of those guys, and that’s certainly a factor — something we considered in our offense was a variety of routes and concepts that we want to make sure we use each and every week. The different route tree that each group of players — wide receivers, tight ends, running backs that we ask them to do is certainly big and they’ve handled it well. I think Coach Gillespie did a great job of coaching them up on some of those routes and they’ve done a great job of executing in those moments. Jam was certainly impactful in the game Justice has been in the past. Their ability to come out of the backfield and catch the football is certainly — it makes it easier for the quarterback. It makes it harder to defend for us offensively and something that we’ll always incorporate in our offense."

On settling down after the penalty on the first play from scrimmage

"We did good. Did better than the first play, for sure."

On commonalities in the QB room

"Well intangibles wouldn’t be anything physical, right? So I think character, who they are as people. They have great families. Their parents have raised them the right way. I think they’re mentally tough. So those would be commonalities amongst all of those guys and I think at this level that would be pretty standard across the highest level of football is guys that have great character, are built the right way and are mentally tough."