WATCH: Nick Saban celebrates win over Tennessee with student section
Alabama picked up its 15th consecutive win over cross-division rival Tennessee on Saturday. After creating a loud, penalty-inducing atmosphere, the student section got an opportunity to celebrate with head coach Nick Saban.
In a rare move, the all-time great took a detour toward the endzone on his way to the locker room. Walking toward the students, who were busy smoking victory cigars, Saban gave credit to the rowdy crowd.
Throughout the game, Tennessee committed 12 penalties worth 98 yards of field position. After seeing the Crimson Tide struggle early, it appeared those yards could make a difference, although the second half proved one-sided.
Alabama remains undefeated at home this season, with the last Bryant-Denny Stadium loss coming in 2019 against the historic 15-0 LSU team.
Frustrating day for Saban
While Nick Saban left the field in a good mood, willing to interact with the student section, it was not always so calm. Throughout the game, he was seen screaming at anyone who would listen, frustrated with nearly every play until midway through the second half.
Saban had already dealt with plenty of frustration, as he hammered his team for mistakes they made during the first half. He let loose on the mistakes during his halftime interview as they left the field.
“Well we busted two coverages for two touchdowns. We had them stopped and gave them an opportunity by roughing the kicker when it was third down and about 30. Turned the ball over on the nine-yard line — so we’ve done a lot of shooting ourselves in the foot which we need to get fixed, because these guys are capable of moving the ball and scoring points,” Saban told ESPN’s Katie George when asked about Alabama’s misalignment in coverage.
The Crimson Tide led Tennessee 21-14 at the half, despite several key mistakes that were a cause for frustration for their coach.
In the third quarter his issues continued as team caused Saban’s frustration to reach a boiling point after his team committed a delay of game penalty on the first play of a drive. With his team taking the field after a kickoff that resulted in a touchback, Alabama had difficulty getting their first snap off.
The broadcast camera crew caught Saban going off on his team from the sideline, extremely upset at another mistake made by Alabama. Coupled with their first half mistakes, Saban became increasingly upset at what he felt was Alabama shooting themselves in the foot.