WATCH: Nick Saban goes nuclear vs Tennessee
Alabama head coach Nick Saban went nuclear on the sideline as his team’s mistakes led to another penalty against Tennessee, amidst growing frustration at his team’s frustration. In the third quarter as Alabama took the field for a new drive, they committed a delay of game penalty that drove their coach into an animated fit on the sideline.
Nick Saban goes nuclear on sideline after penalty
Watching his team make mistakes early in a close game against Tennessee, Saban’s frustration reached a boiling point after his team committed a delay of game penalty in the third quarter. With his team taking the field for a new drive after a kickoff that resulted in a touchback, Alabama had difficulty getting their first snap off.
Saban was caught by the broadcast camera crew going off on his team from the sideline, extremely upset at another mistake made by Alabama. Coupled with their first half mistakes, Saban was increasingly upset at what he felt was Alabama shooting themselves in the foot.
Saban critical of first-half mistakes
Saban hammered his team for mistakes they had made during the first half during his halftime interview as they left the field. The Crimson Tide led Tennessee 21-14 at the half, despite several key mistakes that were a cause for frustration for their coach.
“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.
“Well, we gotta continue to do that. I think we need to run it a little better and have a little better balance too, but they’re mixing it up well on defense. Bryce [Young] has done a good job of taking advantage.”