Nick Saban takes victory lap on Alabama non-believers after SEC title win

Alabama head coach Nick Saban took a victory lap on his doubters with his postgame comments after winning another SEC title with the Crimson Tide. Alabama defeated the unbeaten Georgia Bulldogs 41-24 on Saturday, securing a College Football Playoff berth.

Nick Saban on surprising people with SEC title

“For this team to show the resiliency they’ve shown all year, makes this so special,” Saban said to CBS Sports’ Jamie Erdahl after the game. “Winning the game as we did last week, playing the game today to the level that most people probably didn’t think we could — I’m really proud of this bunch. They’ve shown tremendous ability to overcome adversity all year long.”

After an extremely narrow victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl last week, Saban’s Alabama entered the SEC Championship game as underdogs. Georgia was 12-0 on the year, holding opponents to an average of seven points per game.

With the struggles Alabama’s offense showed against Auburn, there were huge questions surrounding their chances against the best defense in college football. However on game day, Alabama and their quarterback Bryce Young were ready to answer those questions.

Young scored three touchdowns in the second quarter alone, more than any team had managed against the Bulldogs all season long. Prior to Saturday’s loss to the Crimson Tide, the most points scored against Georgia all season was 17.

Nick Saban on earning “respect”

“We did play great on offense,” Saban stated after the game. “Obviously Bryce played a magnificent game. Receivers did a good job, I think our [offensive] line did a really good job of blocking pressures so he had a chance to operate, which we thought was really important in the game. But this is a great team win. I know our defense gave up some plays, but they got them stopped when they needed to.

“Winning the SEC is a big thing. And I’m so proud of all the fans that we have here, the state of Alabama and all of our players for how they played and competed in this game. Everybody wanted to gain a little respect — and I think maybe we did.”

One piece of Nick Saban’s team that certainly earned respect throughout the game was Alabama’s offensive line. Saban closed his comments after the game by praising his team and coaches for the work they did preparing for the game.

“I think the coaches did a really good job,” Saban stated. “They did a good job of protections. Bryce did a good job of preparing to get them in the right place. Everybody contributed in a very positive way.”