Nick Saban reacts to Alabama's season-opening loss to Florida State
Alabama lost its season opener at Florida State, 31-17. And much like the players, coaches and fans, former head coach Nick Saban was disappointed by what transpired in Tallahassee.
In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to watch longtime pal and colleague Bill Belichick’s debut at UNC, Saban reacted to No. 8 Alabama’s Week 1 loss to the Seminoles during ESPN’s College Football Countdown before the Tarheels and TCU Horned Frogs face off (7 p.m. CT on ESPN).
“Obviously, for me, and for a lot of the ‘Bama fans, the disappointment is that Florida State dominated the line of scrimmage of both sides of the ball,” Saban said.
Alabama allowed Florida State to rush for 230 yards and four touchdowns on 49 attempts (4.7 ypc), while the Crimson Tide offense only mustered 87 rushing yards on 29 carries against FSU. UA ran for 55 yards on its opening possession of Game 1 but just 32 over the next nine.
It marked the fourth time since the start of the 2024 season that Alabama has allowed 200-plus rushing yards in a game, and it was the fifth instance in the same span of less than 100 yards on the ground. The now-five games of under 100 yards all resulted in a loss for the Tide.
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Saban is eager to see how Alabama will respond as it returns to campus for its home opener.
“The good news is every team has the best opportunity to improve from Week 1 to Week 2,” Saban said. “Because really, going into the season, you don’t really know what you have for sure as a coach. You’re always very anxious about what might happen in the first game.
“I’m sure they’re all disappointed – players, coaches alike. But they all do have a great chance to improve from Week 1 to Week 2. That’s when you make the biggest improvement.”
Alabama will look to rebound in Week 2 when it plays host to the ULM Warhawks on Saturday, September 6. The non-conference matchup is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. (on SEC Network).
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