Nick Saban strikes surprising tone following Alabama's commanding win over Cincinnati

Alabama is on its way to the national championship. The Crimson Tide took down Cincinnati on Friday night in the College Football Playoff semifinal, winning 27-6. Following the win, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was thrilled with how Alabama players stepped up against Cincinnati.

“I was elated with the way a lot of these guys played,” Saban said. “We have confidence in the players when they get an opportunity. And I think every time that they get opportunities they learn more and more not only about what they need to do, but how they need to prepare so that they can go in the game and play with the confidence and not make mental errors, do their job well. I think those things are really, really important.”

Alabama has needed players to step up all year. With John Metchie out with a knee injury and multiple players on the offensive line banged up, Saban knew that other players would have to elevate their game if Alabama wanted to beat Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve.

Saban: Alabama has confidence in players stepping up

Going up against Cincinnati’s stout secondary, Alabama was forced to rely on the ground game, which is something that has been inconsistent at times this season. Against Cincinnati, Brian Robinson Jr stepped up in a big way for Saban and Alabama, rushing for 204 yards on 26 carries.

As players continue to grow into larger roles, the stage is also continuing to get bigger for Alabama. But that hasn’t stopped the team from seeing great improvement.

“When young players get an opportunity to play, they learn and grow from their mistakes,” Saban continued. “And these guys will continue to get better. But I think because they go about it the right way, they’ve made a tremendous amount of improvement and I was really pleased. Ja’Corey brooks has played well for us. He’s had to step up now that John Metchie’s out. And we have a lot of other young players that have done a really really good job for us. So I’m proud of each and every one of them, but I also have confidence in them as well.”

Next up for Alabama is another matchup with Georgia with a national championship on the line. Alabama took down Georgia in the SEC Championship game, which allowed the Crimson Tide to earn the top overall seed in the College Football Playoff.