Tide Tames Bulldogs 32-7 These are the post game comments and interviews with Coach Nick Saban following the Mississippi State game … Coach Nick Saban ... How's everyone doing? (little or no response from the Press Pool) Saban ... Well, that wasn't very enthusiastic. (press chuckles) Well, I really pleased and happy with the way our team came out and played in the 2nd half. I think special teams, probably as much as any game this year, had a tremendous impact on field position ... certainly Javier Arenas and his returns, but also a great job by the return teams. It had a tremendous impact on the game. They set up a score, scored and blocked punt for a safety. But even more important than that was the specialists controlling the vertical field position in the game. They got at least one kickoff return out to the 40-yard-line. But for the most part, with the wind being a factor, Leigh (Tiffin) did a good job kicking off. I think special teams was a real key in the game today. The 1st half, we didn't play especially well. We made some mental errors on defense that were very costly in terms of their (MSU) scoring drive. That's not like us. I thought we had a lot of energy and a lot of intensity, but we didn't play very smart. Offensively ... their defense is good and we didn't sustain drives and move the ball effectively in the 1st half at all. But we did a much, much better job in the 2nd half and kind of controlled the game. I think Javy's return that made it 19-7 probably changed the momentum of the game as much as anything. We pretty much controlled the game after that. And even though we didn't move the ball well, we scored touchdowns and controlled the line of scrimmage better and did a better job in the 2nd half. We have a lot of guys that are nicked up, beat up, bruised up ... we had 'em going into the game coming out of the last game and I know you'll ask me about the bye-week. No one really ever knows if a bye-week is a good time or a bad time. But I look at our team physically, emotionally and mentally and think this is a good time for us to get a little rest. Even though we don't have a lot of guys missing games, we've got a lot of guys beat up. This will give them some time to heal up. I also think emotionally ... we've had a lot of tough games this year. Our guys put a lot into it. They've played with a lot intensity, a lot of energy, a lot of intangibles and probably challenged themselves a little more than most teams I've coached. I really do appreciate that and I'm proud of the way they compete. They've overcome a lot and improved a lot. But at the same time, I think it's a good time for a little break as well. I kind of challenged the fans and I apologize for using "potty words", but I think our fans probably did as much to impact this game as anyone else. There was a lot of enthusiasm in the stadium, there was a lot of noise. It affected their offense, especially in the 1st half. I was really, really pleased and excited that the fans stayed til the end of the game. I know it energized our players and helped us in a time when we were a little bit tired and limping a little bit emotionally to help us hang in there intensity-wise and control the game. I think our fans did a fantastic job and I want to personally thanks them for that. They really helped our team a lot today.
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Click for post game interview transcripts from Mississipppi State ... or other Homes Games 2008 interviews Javier Arenas (#28 KR/DB Jr. 2L 5'-9" 198 lbs. Robinson High, Tampa FL)
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