Nick Saban on Bryce Young, composure in Alabama win over Florida

Alabama head coach Nick Saban continues to be impressed by quarterback Bryce Young’s performance through the first three games of the season, complimenting his young quarterback for his performance in Alabama’s 31-29 win over No. 11 Florida.

“I think Bryce did a really good job,” Saban told media after the game. “I think he was very composed. It was a difficult circumstance and situation to play in. We clapped some, we went on silent some but I thought he managed the game really well. Made some really, really good decisions, for the most part. We did a nice job on third down, which was really important in the game. Made some good reads, guys made some good catches. I thought offensively, other than those three three-and-outs in the second quarter, we did a good job of moving the football.”

Saban continued.

“We didn’t always score a touchdown,” he said. “But I think when you control the tempo of the game on offense and even when you move the ball and control the clock, keep the defense off the field. Those are important things when you play good teams.”

Young completed 22 of 35 pass attempts for 233 yards and three touchdowns against Florida, finding running backs Jase McClellan, Brian Robinson Jr and tight end Jahleel Billingsley for touchdowns.

Through the first three games of the season, Young has thrown for 811 yards and 10 touchdowns, with no interceptions, completing 68% of his passes.

On Saturday, Alabama faced their toughest test of the season so far, surviving an upset bid by Florida, who came up short on a two-point conversion attempt with 3:10 left in the game that would have tied the game.

After taking a 21-3 lead in the first quarter, Alabama’s offense went three-and-out three-straight times before halftime, allowing Florida to close the gap to 21-9 after two quarters. The two teams traded scores to open the half, making it a 28-16 game with under five minutes left in the third quarter. Florida outscored Alabama 14-3 to close out the game, but fell just short of the comeback upset victory.

Saban was displeased with his defense’s execution in the win and wants more consistency from Bryce Young’s receiving options.

John Metchie III and Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams have emerged as a formidable duo in the pass game. In addition to the experienced duo, freshman JoJo Earle, running back Jase McClellan, tight ends Cameron Latu and Jahleel Billingsley, have emerged as contributors in the passing offense as well.

“I think we want to develop more consistency at the position, I think we need to continue working on separating from man-to-man coverage, which is always what you need to do as a receiver,” Saban said Monday in his weekly press conference. “When people play zone, give you free access, you’re running to areas and getting in holes, that’s not nearly as challenging as when you have to beat a guy in man-to-man. I think that’s something we need to continue to work on.”