Alabama head coach Nick Saban has been more open with the media this year than seemingly any other year in the past. In addition to his standard weekly press conferences at the University of Alabama, Saban is also a weekly guest on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show every Thursday.
Saban’s 20-minute weekly interview with McAfee gives a much better look into the ins and outs of being Nick Saban while also providing a unique look at Alabama’s upcoming game based on the way that McAfee formats the interview.
While the two were breaking down the game coming up this Saturday between No. 17 Tennessee and No. 11 Alabama, Saban spoke about what makes Tennessee’s offense so challenging to prepare for.
“When they go fast on offense, they run 2.7 plays a minute,” Saban said. “That’s completely different for a defensive player. It’s a difficult preparation because you can’t get your scout team to do it right during the week of practice. They’re going to fast and you have to be able to get lined up on defense and not make mental mistakes and be able to execute and do what you do.”
“You also can’t substitute in a game,” Saban continued on to say. “They’re not going to allow you to substitute on third down. So a third-down package is something else that you have to be able to execute with the people in the game.”
As every team does, Alabama is also looking inward for improvements leading into the game against Tennessee this weekend. Saban believes that the Tide’s mentality will have a big impact on this game, the same way that it negatively impacted Alabama in last year’s game in Knoxville.
“We have played well when we’re a little bit upset and have an edge to us,” Saban said on Thursday. “That’s something that we have to go in this game with. I thought we played the game last year with a lot of anxiety. There was a lot on the line. A lot of guys put a lot of pressure on themselves. We don’t really want to go there. We want to keep an edge about how we compete, how we focus, how we play because the way they (Tennessee) play challenges you to do that.”
More from RTI: Peyton Manning Pokes Fun At Alabama Leading Into Saturday’s Game
Saban also touched on Tennessee’s “aggressive” defense.
The Vols currently rank No. 3 in the SEC in sacks (24) and have a stout front seven that has recently given South Carolina and Texas A&M quite a bit of trouble. Tennessee’s secondary is also playing much better than this time last year thanks to a breakout year from cornerback Kamal Hadden and healthier players in the secondary being able to produce.
“Their defense is very aggressive,” Saban said. “They’ve got good pass rushers and we’re going to have to do a good job of controlling the ball, try to keep it away from them some so they don’t run 100 plays in the game. It’s going to come down to fundamental execution on offense, which has been our, little bit of an Achilles heel in terms of our consistency in playing with good fundamental execution. I don’t care if it’s offensive line, receivers, pass protection, quarterback execution, whatever you want to talk about. It’s good at times but we have to be consistent.”
Aside from his usual business-level approach to the interview, McAfee did get a good joke out of the longtime Alabama head coach.
“Is the equipment manager charged with spotting the ball (during scout team practices) and how many times has he been chewed out or potentially questioned this week as you get ready for the fast team?” McAfee asked.
“He’s been chewed out a few times,” Saban said with a grin.
“Uh, if we could GET THE BALL SET!” McAfee replied as if he was the Alabama head coach speaking at practice. “I believe that has probably been said a few times.”
No. 11 Alabama will host No. 17 Tennessee this Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game broadcast will be handled by CBS.
To watch McAfee’s full interview with Nick Saban, click the video below.
