TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban spoke to reporters Wednesday for his final press conference before No. 9 Alabama takes on No. 11 Ole Miss on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Here’s a transcript of what he said as well as my takes on what it means.
Opening statement
"I think one of the biggest challenges that we all face is the challenge to create the right habits in what we do day-in and day-out. To do the little things right, have fun doing it, have the right energy, enthusiasm — sort of approach things with a disciplined mindset to create those habits so you're gonna have confidence in the fundamental execution. You gotta invest in that in practice and it takes good energy and enthusiasm and focus every day to be able to do that. I was pretty pleased with the way the players did that today so hopefully we can build on that and it's going to help our execution come game day.
Tony’s take: Saban is still trying to instill a winning mentality in this year’s team. It might be too late in terms of saving this season, but how the team responds over the next month could have an impact on its momentum heading into next year. If the younger players on the team can start developing the right habits now, Alabama might not have as much of a hill to climb as it turns over its roster again next season.
On Ole Miss
"We have a lot of respect for Ole Miss. We understand the challenge that we have this Saturday in Oxford. They've got a lot of good players, they're well-coached, there's challenging schemes on both sides of the ball so we're doing the best we can to get our players ready and confident to be able to play with confidence when the game comes.
"One thing I'd like to mention: Veteran's Day [is] coming up this week, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the veterans who served our country who make the sacrifices they made for the quality of life that maybe so many of us take for granted that we certainly shouldn't. It's hard to feel bad if you have gratitude for what we have, and we have one of the greatest countries in the world and all of these servicemen have made sacrifices so that we can maintain that and we appreciate what they do more than you know."
Tony’s take: Alabama knows it’s going to face a steep challenge in Oxford, Miss., this weekend. Best believe Lane Kiffin has a few plays cooked up for his old boss, and the Rebels have the talent to hurt the Crimson Tide if it isn’t on its A-game.
Also, hats off to veterans.
On the energy in practice this week and if it can serve as a predictor for how the team will perform in the game
"No, I can't tell. You hope that when guys practice well — and I believe in this — that they will play better in the game. But there's so many things that happen in the game that you have to be able to maintain your individual momentum to be able to play the next play and execute when your best is needed.
"I mean, when an 'Oh s***!' moment comes up in the game, you gotta be able to play the next play just like you gotta do the same thing in life. We all have issues and things that happen in our life. Some we create, some we don't create [but] we still have to deal with, but you gotta have the right mindset to be able to sustain the right energy level and regain momentum when those things happen. And that's one of the things that we need to get better at.
"We talk all the time about playing one play at a time for 60 minutes in the game like it has a history and a life of its own and no matter what happened on the last play, focus on the next play. Don't look at the scoreboard, don't worry about the outcome — just do the things you need to do to get the outcome that you want. And that's something that we need to improve on and it's something that's been harped on all year long.
"So even if you practice well, if you don't go in the game with the right psychological disposition to sustain momentum and how you play play-in and play-out even when things go bad, even when you're playing on the road — it doesn't matter where you're playing — then you're not going to be able to maintain the kind of focus you need to be able to execute."
Tony’s take: Curse-word alert! During his opening statement, Saban mentioned he liked his team’s energy in practice this week. However, that doesn’t guarantee a positive result Saturday.
As Saban mentioned, every game has its crucial moments — especially matchups against quality opponents like the one Alabama will face this weekend. The Crimson Tide didn’t respond well to those against LSU and will need to do a better job against Ole Miss if it wants to leave Oxford with a win. A lot of that comes down to mental strength which can be built up with the right mentality during practice. However, Alabama’s success will ultimately revolve around each player remaining focused on the task at hand and holding himself to the team’s standard.
On the impact of the transfer portal with Ole Miss
“Well, I think you can go through all the teams that we play and they have significant players that have come in from the transfer portal, and Ole Miss certainly has significant players. LSU had significant players last week that made their team better. It’s almost like, can you only build your team in the draft, or is there such a thing as free agency now in college football? For years, NFL teams used both of those things to help build their team. I think some teams are doing that. Some teams probably need to do it a little more than others. But I think it creates a lot of parity relative to how fast you can rebuild a team, how fast you can sort of get your team to where you need to be to be very, very competitive. I think Ole Miss, Lane’s done a great job of that. He’s got a lot of significant players, and you couple that with some good recruiting and it helps your team be really good, and they got a really good team.”
Tony’s take: Ole Miss brought in 17 transfers this offseason, including its starting quarterback (Jaxson Dart, Southern California), leading pass-catcher (Malik Heath, Mississippi State), leading tackler (Troy Brown, Central Michigan) and leader in tackles for a loss (Khari Coleman, TCU). Kiffin’s ability to poach players from the transfer portal has allowed him to rebuild the Rebels into a legit SEC West contender in just three years. Time will tell if he can sustain this method of recruiting, but it appears to be working so far.
On Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart
“He looks to me like he must be a really bright guy because he does a really good job of executing the offense. He can make plays with his feet. He’s athletic. He’s a big, strong guy. So he’s a good runner. A different kind than what we played a week ago. He’s a really good passer. And he does a good job of faking the ball, which is important in a lot of their shot plays in terms of what they like to do – because they run the ball so well, they’ve got really good play-action passes. He’s done, I think, a really, really good job for them all year long.”
Tony’s take: Another road game with another dual-threat quarterback. That’s been a dangerous mixture for Alabama this season.
Alabama did a decent job of containing LSU’s Jayden Daniels for most of the game over the weekend. Then the Arizona State transfer pulled off a pair of big runs late to lead the Tigers to an overtime victory. Alabama had less success against Tennesse’s Hendon Hooker, who gashed the Crimson Tide for 385 yards and five touchdowns through the air while adding another 56 yards with his feat during the Volunteers' victory last month. On the flip side, Alabama was able to bottle up Arkansas’ K.J. Jefferson, limiting him to 155 yards and a touchdown through the air and 38 yards on the ground.
Through nine games, Dart has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 1,911 yards and 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He’s also added 473 yards with his feet. The Southern California transfer has gotten better as the season has progressed and has thrown for three touchdowns in three of his last four games. He’s also run for 232 yards over that span.
On what has gone into Lane Kiffin coaching at a high level
“I think you have to have a systematic approach. I can’t speak for Lane, but he was here and did a really good job when he was here and he’s obviously done a good job every place he’s been since he’s been here. For me, I can speak to a systematic approach that, in terms of trying to develop a culture in an organization, that develops a standard and expectation for what people need to do so they can create value for themselves and we can have success as an organization, they can have success individually, we can have success as a team and have good people in your organization that are actually carrying out the principles and values of the organization, the standard you want to set in terms of the culture, whether it’s discipline, work ethic, people being responsible and accountable to do their job, pay attention to detail. So all of those things, sort of, make a team what it is.
“Obviously, you’ve got to get the right people, so you’ve got to do a good job of recruiting in all parts of your organization – coaching staff as well as the kind of players you bring in. So I think all those things are critical. Having a good system, offensively, defensively, that players have a chance to be successful in, I think that’s obvious too as part of the overall system and program.
Tony’s take: Saban and Kiffin have different coaching styles and personalities, but some things are universal among all great coaches. Both Saban and Kiffin have recruited well and have instilled their identities in their respective programs. I think if you’d ask Kiffin, he would agree with a lot of the principles Saban mentioned in how he builds his program.