What Nick Saban Said to Kick off Mississippi State Week

Follow along for updates as the Alabama head coach speaks to the media Monday.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama got back on track over the weekend with a 24-10 victory over Ole Miss in the SEC opener. 

Now, the Crimson Tide prepares for its first SEC road game this Saturday at Mississippi State. 

Alabama head coach Nick Saban will speak to the media Monday afternoon to recap the victory over the Rebels while looking ahead at the Crimson Tide's next matchup. 

Full Transcript

Opening Statement

"Obviously, this was a great win for our team, really proud of the way the guys came out and competed in the second half. Played a lot better in the second half than we had a couple times in the first half where we sort of self-destructed a little bit with the way we executed and some of the things that we did and sort of eliminated some of those things in the second half and played much cleaner. I think played the way we would like to continue to play and hopefully build on that. Sort of show the players today when we watch the film, here's the reason that worked and here's the reason it didn't work. Whether it's offense, defense, special teams or whatever. That's the way you actually can have a chance to get better.

"This is the first SEC road game. This is actually a bigger challenge for us than the last two games in my opinion, in terms of this team is very physical, very aggressive on defense, create a lot of negative plays, got a lot of starters back. They know their system. They know their scheme. They play very, very well. Zach Arnett, it's his system, he's a very good defensive coach. As the head coach he's done a really good job there. Obviously the quarterback has been an outstanding player for a long time, but with the new offense that they run, there's a lot more balance in it. They've got two really good backs that are very, very productive when they run the football. They've got a really, really good receiver, No. 5 Griffin, who is very, very productive. They made a lot of explosive plays, throw for 250 yards or so in the passing game. They play really good on special teams so this is an overall, really, really good team and it's going to be a real challenge for us playing on the road in the SEC to play against this team, this week. This is something that our players have to really focus on and do a great job in preparation so we can eliminate some of these things that have happened in games whether they're drive-stoppers or giving up the big play or whatever it is, we got to eliminate those things."

On Terrion Arnold's growth...

"I think he's more confident. I think that he has less like mental lapses. I think the biggest thing that contributes to that is better knowledge of the defense, better knowledge of what to do, how to do it, why it's important to do it that way and thee confidence that comes with that allows you to play fast and focus on the right things. I think he's played a lot better this year because of those things."

On how backup OL Elijah Pritchett, and Terrance Ferguson performed against Ole Miss

"Both guys did OK. I think there was some things we'd like to finish better. I think the big point of emphasis with our offensive line is gotta get your second step in the ground, gotta get your hands inside so that we can finish blocks. That would be the case with both of those guys. But it also is sort of an overall evaluation of what we need to do to get better on the offensive line."

On WR Jalen Hale...

"He did a good job, made some big plays. I think the big thing with Jalen being a young player is, you’ve got to know what to do on every play so you can go play fast and do your job. So we need to work hard with him to try to get him to where he needs to be and make sure that he’s out there playing with confidence and a good understanding of the overall system of what we’re trying to get done on each and every play."

On who will step up at LB if Deontae Lawson is unable to go...

"We played most of the game this last game with Jihaad [Campbell] playing, and Trezmen [Marshall] playing. That’ll be the way that we go. Obviously the depth at that position is going to become critical for us if Deontae can’t go. And we’ll keep working with these guys and try to get them ready to go this week.” 

On Robbie Ouzts' bigger role in the offense

"You know I think that we trust the guy to do what he’s supposed to do. He’s done a really good job of executing during the games and doing the things that he needs to do for us to have success on plays. That kind of dependability is important. You can say what you want to say, you can be better than somebody else, but you’ve got to play better. I think that’s the thing that Robbie’s doing is he’s playing better. Because he’s doing what he’s supposed to do, he understands what he’s supposed to do and he’s been very effective in doing it."

On his relationship with Mike Leach...

"Well, you know I loved Mike Leach. He was different, but in a good way. Obviously he presented an offensive system or scheme, whatever you want to call it or name it that was unique and very challenging, but he believed in it and kind of did it his way. I always had a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach but really liked him as a person."

On Alabama lining up in the shotgun on 1st and goal from the 1

"There's a lot of thought about that. It was not smart on our part to do what we did, and we get a bad snap after all that. I'm not defending anybody, but with better execution, we shouldn't snap the ball over the quarterback's head and we've got to get on the same page with the snap count. I agree with you that, at a time when it's first and 1 on the 1, why do we need to be in (shotgun)?"

On the Alabama/Mississippi State consistent rivalry ending this season

"My focus is on this game. I don't look back at other games. I think there's a time and place to commiserate or celebrate or whatever you want to do relative to rivalries and the changing environment and landscape of college football. But to me, everything is about this game, our team, trying to get our team better, and get our team to play winning football against a good team. I don't have a lot of thoughts or spend a lot of time, at this time, thinking about those kinds of things."

On Dallas Turner's role

"Dallas has always been a really good player for us. A guy who works hard in practice every day, tries to do everything he's coached to do. The team is important to him, he's been a good leader on the team. Sometimes you're fortunate to get sacks, sometimes you do a great job of affecting the quarterback and you don't get sacks. Affecting the quarterback is probably a more important stat than actually sacking the quarterback. And how we can do that as a group is really, really important. Obviously, Dallas, Bras and the other guys all contribute to that, but they all contribute to each other when they do get sacks. Whether somebody else pressures the guy and makes the quarterback move, gives you the opportunity. Whether you beat your guy one on one, or whether we have some kind of a pressure on that gives you an opportunity to get a one on one and have a sack, so some of those things, they happen, they're not predictable, but when you have players that do the right things and work hard all the time and have really good ability, the chances of it happening for them are a lot greater."

Updates on the live blog:

108th meeting (Alabama leads, 87-17-3)

• In Starkville: Alabama leads, 21-4

• Current Streak: Alabama, Won 15

• Last Meeting: Oct. 22, 2022 - Tuscaloosa (W, 30-6)

• Series Notes: Alabama and Mississippi State will meet for the 108th time on Saturday night. The series dates back to 1896 and is the fi fth-oldest in Crimson Tide history with UA owning an 87-17-3 all-time advantage, including a 21-4 mark in Starkville. The Tide has won 15 straight over the Bulldogs, including a 49-9 victory on Oct. 16, 2021, UA’s last trip to Starkville. 

• Alabama head coach Nick Saban is 20-1 in his career against State, including a 15-1 mark while at UA. Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett, who is in his first season with the Bulldogs and as a collegiate head coach, has never faced the Tide.

See also:

2023 SEC Football Power Rankings: Week 4