‘What the hell is wrong with you guys’ – Nick Saban lost one game to Tennessee while at Alabama and he’s still making excuses for it
The Tennessee Vols only beat Nick Saban once during the legendary coach’s time leading the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Nick Saban only lost one game to the Tennessee Vols while he was the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Saban and the Crimson Tide lost to the Volunteers in Knoxville in 2022. It was Tennessee’s first win in the rivalry since 2006 (the season before Saban’s arrival in Tuscaloosa).
On Friday, ahead of this weekend’s matchup between Tennessee and Alabama, Saban joined The Pat McAfee Show and he shared a story about the Crimson Tide’s loss to the Volunteers in 2022.
Nick Saban lost one game to Tennessee while at Alabama and he’s still making excuses for it
While talking about the Tennessee vs Alabama rivalry on Friday, Saban told a story about his players being “nervous” before the 2022 game in Knoxville.
“We’re getting ready to come out, and our players used to always do this chant when we come out of the locker room,” said Saban. “We’re getting ready to come out at Tennessee, and it was totally quiet. I turn around and say, ‘What the hell is wrong with you guys?’ And they were nervous….It was traditional for them — this is what we do before we go out and play.
“Now, all of a sudden, we’re not doing that, because we’re so worried about winning the game, and there’s so much on the line, and there’s so much anxiety. And then we just went out and played terrible in the first half of that game.”
Saban didn’t mention the 2022 game during the segment with McAfee. But he told the same story (in a press conference setting) a couple of days after the loss to Tennessee in 2022.
I have a lot of respect for Saban. He’s the greatest college coach I’ve seen during my lifetime. I respect who he is as a leader, a mentor, a talent developer, a motivator, and as a competitor.
But come on, part of the reason Alabama played “terrible” in that first half was because the Volunteers played at an extremely high level.
Look, I know when Saban talks, everyone listens. But these comments feel dismissive of Tennessee. It feels like he’s saying Alabama lost that game only because the players were nervous.
The nervousness was undoubtedly a factor — you can’t play at a high level if you’re not playing free and without worry. But Tennessee was the better team that day. And that’s ultimately why the Vols (and the goal posts) left Neyland Stadium with a win — not just because Alabama’s players weren’t chanting.
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