Jimbo Fisher reveals what it means to be first Nick Saban assistant to defeat him

Nick Saban is undoubtedly one of the greatest football coaches in the history of college football. While he is known for churning out consistent talent on the field at Alabama, he is also known for producing quality coaches that come from under him. But on long list of former Saban assistants turned head coaches, nobody had ever beaten him before Saturday night. Jimbo Fisher changed that with Texas A&M’s upset of Alabama in Week 6.

Texas A&M jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter and ultimately held on for a 41-38 victory. Alabama actually fought back and took a 38-31 lead late in the game, but a late Texas A&M touchdown tied the game. Seth Small made a 28-yard field goal as time expired to secure the upset victory for Texas A&M.

Jimbo Fisher on being the first Saban assistant to beat him: ‘That’s not a goal’

Fisher downplayed being the first former Saban assistant to defeat him after the game. Fisher instead praised his team for showing that it can play at a high level against good teams. Fisher also said that it was ‘inevitable’ that one of Saban’s assistant defeated him.

“It doesn’t mean anything to me,” Jimbo Fisher said of becoming the first Saban assistant to beat him. “And I don’t mean that in any disrespect. Listen, Nick is one heck of a football coach. I’ve known Nick for years. I’ve considered him a great friend. Coach, with him, have a lot of respect for him. He’s got great teams and we know.

“I think it means something to me that our football team is learning to play against other good football teams and have success. And that’s the important thing to me. It was inevitable, somebody was going to do it in time. So, hey it happens to be us, that’s great. But that doesn’t mean anything to me because that’s not a goal that I’m trying to talk about or do. I want our organization, our program to do well. That’s the only thing I care about.”