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What Saban said and what (we think) it means: Monday

bioby: Travis Reier11/20/23travisreier
Alabama coach Nick Saban
Nick Saban (Courtesy of Alabama Athletics)

Reviewing some comments and an attempt at reading between the lines following Nick Saban‘s latest media availability.

Saban on defensive back Terrion Arnold: “Terrion has really done a good job for us. Because of injuries, he’s had to play multiple positions, which has been challenging for him. He’s had to play some Star at times. In some cases, when a guy’s gone out of the game, he didn’t have a lot of reps at it. But he’s been a trooper at doing it and trying to look at it as a challenge and go out and improve each week. His coverage ability has been very good. I think he’s played extremely well.”

What we think it means: In the process, Arnold has made a lot of money for himself. Here’s guessing the postseason feedback he’ll almost certainly request from the NFL Draft Advisory Board will reflect that, anyway.

You know what else clubs will like about Arnold’s tape? His effort on special teams doesn’t reflect that of a budding star who thinks covering kicks and/or blocking on returns is beneath him. The latest example of that was his work on a Chattanooga punt team gunner, which helped set the stage for Caleb Downs’ 85-yard punt return for a touchdown last Saturday.

Saban on defensive line depth: “I think we’ve had some young guys that have really come along and shown some improvement. Some of them played toward the end of the last two games.”

“I feel good about the progress that we’ve made in that group. I just think that our ability to stop the run is going to be critical in this game. For us to play physical on the line of scrimmage and play really good technique with whoever’s playing is going to be the most important thing that we need to do in preparation for this game.”

What we think it means: And that depth will be put to the test over the next few weeks. Extend the situation out to the outside linebacker positions and Alabama’s front is capable of measuring up to what awaits it.

From that standpoint, it’s easy to look ahead to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, which certainly won’t be for the faint of heart where trench warfare is concerned. Still, I’m going to go ahead and assume that the UA defense has seen plenty of last year’s Iron Bowl, when Auburn rushed for 318 yards and two touchdowns.

Slowing down Jarquez Hunter, he of 134 rushing yards in this game a year ago, is where it will start for the Alabama defense. Hunter was on a late-season heater (consecutive 100-yard rushing performances in wins over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas) before being held to 27 yards on eight carries by New Mexico State last Saturday.

Do something similar with the Auburn run game this week and there’s a good chance its passing game, which ranks dead last in the SEC, won’t be up to carrying the load.

Saban on winning at Auburn: “If we’re going to have success there, we’re going to have to execute. I mean, any time you play on the road in this league, it’s a difficult place to play. This is no different. But you know, people talk about all the crazy stuff that happens in this game. But since I’ve been here, the team that should have won the game won the game based on who played the best. So I think the focus needs to be on how are we going to play and how are we going to execute and do what we do and what kind of consistency are we going to be able to maintain in a difficult environment. We’ve had this challenge several times before, and this one’s going to be just as difficult as any of the rest.”

What we think it means: On the tenth anniversary of the “Kick 6”, some Alabama fans are in full Jordan-Hare Boogey Man mode. Those folks have seen four Saban-coached UA teams come up short on the Plains, so inspecting the floorspace beneath the scratcher before going to bed this week is somewhat understandable.

Notice, too, Saban didn’t say the “best team” has always won this game. Instead, the winner came down to the team “who played the best”. Some Alabama fans would argue that a few losses to AU in the Saban era entailed their team playing at their worst.

Will Auburn’s best be enough this time around? Maybe, but a path to pulling off the upset will likely require the Crimson Tide performing at a level we really haven’t seen since the first half of the Tennessee game. Even then, there was a second half for the Vols to survive. They did not.

Not that it isn’t always the case, but the first 20 minutes or so Saturday will likely determine the degree of difficulty for UA’s latest visit to Jordan-Hare. South Florida aside, slow starts on the road haven’t been a thing for this Alabama team.

In its last three first quarters on the road, the Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents 38-10. More of that this week and a fourth-straight victory over Auburn for the first time in the Saban era will be well within UA’s grasp.

Saban on Auburn loss last week galvanizing Tigers for Iron Bowl: “I can’t answer that. I just can’t answer that. You’d be better served to ask them that question. I think everybody pays attention when things don’t go well, and they want to get it right. I have enough respect, and we have enough respect, that they’ll probably do the same.”

What we think it means: Alabama has, is and always will get Auburn’s very best shot. Make no mistake about it, after being hammered by LSU last month, the goal for the Tigers was to gather enough momentum to make a legitimate run at the Crimson Tide in Hugh Freeze’s Iron Bowl debut.

Until last week’s home loss to New Mexico State, it appeared as if AU had done exactly that.

As for its “improvement” over the second half of the season, even before the NMSU setback I viewed Auburn as a team through a lens similar to the one involving LSU’s defensive “improvement” prior to its visit to Tuscaloosa.

In other words, I took into consideration who both Tigers “improved” performances came against.

For LSU, its defense looked a lot better against the nation’s No. 89 and No. 118 offenses (Auburn and Army) than it did against Ole Miss and Missouri, who combined to pile up 1,233 total yards in the previous two games.

For Auburn, its three-game winning streak prior to last Saturday came against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Combined SEC record for that trio with a week to go in the season: 2-19.

Does that mean Auburn can’t win on Saturday? No, but getting its first win of the season over an SEC opponent with more than one conference victory to its credit will require more than mojo.

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