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Bite Back in OT 26-23
Coach Nick Saban wants consistency and intensity
Post Game Interview Transcript ... These post game comments came
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Coach Nick Saban ... Obviously, we're very disappointed about the outcome of the game, but I think there's a lot of lessons to be learned about how we played in the first half of this game. I was concerned about the (lack of) intensity, the focus, the concentration that we had this week in practice. We harped on it and I think it showed in the first half performance in our game. I think that's the worst we've played all year long. Not only in terms of our ability to execute, but the intensity, the toughness, the competitive spirit, the energy, the positive energy that we had. The look in our eye just wasn't what it needs to be. Now, I'm very very proud of how the team responded in the second half. We came back in the game on several occasions. We had an opportunity or a chance to win the game in overtime, so the competitive spirit, the resiliency, the overcoming adversity, the getting it turned around, the adjustments made were all positives. I think the biggest difference in the game was the time of possession and their ability to keep the ball as they were 9 of 19 on third downs. It was really a problem in the first half ... you know, the first three third downs on the drive where they scored were all screens. We didn't pick them up correctly, or if we did try to pick them up correctly we didn't get them covered. But that continued to be a problem and that's why their time of possession is what it is. We were only 3 of 15 on third down on the other hand which was an issue for us. We weren't able to keep drive going. We had too many circumstances where we didn't keep the ball seven, right or nine plays and change field position like they did. That affected how many points we could score and how we played in the game. So that was disappointing. We didn't execute in the passing game like we need to. Sometimes it was a little bit of protection. Sometimes we missed a few throws. Sometimes we didn't throw it to the right guy. And sometimes they did a pretty good job of getting us covered. But we had opportunities, and we need to cash in on more of those opportunities and have more consistency in the passing game. I thought that special teams was not a factor for us in this game. It's the first time we've played all year where we haven't made a play on special teams that affected the game in terms of a big time return or something like that. They did a better job on their punt return in terms of field position than we did. That was a factor in the game. We did get a couple of turnovers on defense, which gave us some pretty good field position and set up some scores. But we weren't able to take advantage of one, while we were on the others. There's a lot of lessons to be learned here. I always talk about improving the process and getting better ... learning lessons even when you win ... not getting affected by external things like where you're ranked and what people are saying on talk radio, and understanding you have to focus on the process of doing what you need to do to be successful to get it right so you improve and play well as a player and have the maturity to prepare for every game so you are ready to play. And you have to do it with consistency and do it every week. We play in a league where we don't play any bad teams and Georgia is a good football team. They are well coached and they're probably as good as most of the teams we're going to play against or better. They're a Top 20 team too and you can't execute the way we did in the first half and do some of the things we did out there in the first half and have a chance to be successful against a team like that. We put ourselves in a hole and we couldn't overcome it. You hope you can learn these things when you're winning, but like I always say ... sometimes when you get a little satisfied with what you've done you're not as willing and hungry to do it the next time. We did not have the intensity in the first half that we need. I'm responsible for that. I'm not blaming anyone for that. It's my job to get the team ready. So we failed them in some ways because they weren't as ready as they need to be. We'll get that corrected in the future.
Rashad Johnson (#49 DB Jr. 6'-0" 187 lbs 2VL ... Sulligent High School, Sulligent AL)
Simeon Castille (#2 DB Sr. 6'-1" 193 lbs. 3VL ... Briarwood Christian High School, Birmingham AL)
Nick Saban (Head Coach)
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