Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban frustrated over recent losses

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban recently expressed frustration over the team’s two recent away defeats in an interview with ESPN.

Alabama lost to the Tennessee Volunteers 52-49 on October 15 at Neyland Stadium after Tennessee kicker Chase McGrath kicked a field goal as the time ran out. On November 6, Alabama was also defeated by the LSU Tigers 32-31 after LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels made a 2-point conversion pass in overtime.

“We just haven’t played very well on the road, and we’ve had all the toughest games on the road, including this one this week,” Saban said. “So, it is what it is.”

According to Saban, his team had become “a little more outcome-oriented,” making it difficult to focus on the process. Earlier, Alabama received 15 penalties in a 20-19 victory over the Texas Longhorns.

During the Volunteers and Tigers games, the Crimson Tide received 17 and nine penalties, respectively. Currently, Alabama ranks 124th in the entire college football for penalties.

Saban explained that the issue had created “anxiety” in their gameplay. The coach said Alama would start away games “halfway decent” but would fail to sustain the momentum.

Some fans blame team offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and Pete Golding, the defensive coordinator. However, Saban said that both coordinators had shown high-quality work. He also insisted that he was the one to blame because he oversees the preparation of all games.

“I’m not blaming anybody else in the organization,” said Saban. “It’s my responsibility. I know what plays they call. I’m involved in how they prepare for the week. I watch practice film with them.”

Saban also discussed the change in dynamics between coaches and players. Although he said coach-player relationships remained “good,” they had become more “tentative.”

Alabama currently sits second in the SEC for scoring offense (41.8 points per game average) and scoring defense (18.3 points per game average). Analysts claimed that due to the recent losses, Alabama would miss the College Football Playoff for the second time in nine seasons