Saban: Bama has actually ‘smiled’ at difficulty this year

• Chris Low, ESPN Senior WriterNov 15, 2023, 07:26 PM ET

  Close

  • College football reporter
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of the University of Tennessee

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.– Even before the start of this season, which was anything however awakening for Alabama’s football team, some of the players created a concept for a T-shirt.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe was at the football complex Wednesday and was sporting the t-shirt, which has the acronym “LANK” showed throughout the front.

“It’s something me and Terrion [Arnold] considered in the offseason– Let All Naysayers Know– and we desired something that would press us and motivate us, and it’s still pushing us,” said Milroe, who ended up being the very first quarterback in Alabama history recently to pass for three touchdowns and rush for 3 touchdowns in a 49-21 road win over Kentucky.

“Everyone understands we didn’t play to the Alabama requirement those very first few games, however we never gave up pressing. A great deal of individuals may have given up on us, but we never ever did. You look at the players on this team. Take a look at their faces. There’s a lot more neglected there for us.”

Editor’s Picks

2 Associated

Alabama (9-1, 7-0 in the SEC) has won eight straight games considering that a 34-24 home loss to Texas in Week 2. In Week 3, the Crimson Tide benched Milroe and won a sloppy 17-3 choice at South Florida, a game that was tied at 3-3 up until the last 5 minutes of the third quarter.

“A great deal of teams go the other way when something like that takes place. This one didn’t,” Alabama coach Nick Saban informed ESPN on Wednesday. “They stayed together, did the things we required to do to improve, and we can still improve. That’s what you love seeing in a group, that when you go through some tough times and you’re not playing very well, that’s when you take a step back and ask yourselves, ‘How do we fix this?’ This team has done that at every turn this season.”

As much as anything, Saban stated he has delighted in seeing this team have a good time.

“And that’s why it’s made it such a fun group to coach. It’s good to come into the locker space after a win and see smiles on kids’ faces and not simply relief,” Saban said.The No. 8 Crimson Tide, who step outside the SEC to deal with Chattanooga on Saturday before traveling to Auburn on Nov. 25 in the regular-season finale, have clinched their seventh journey to the SEC championship game in the past ten years and will face No. 1 Georgia on Dec. 2 in Atlanta.Alabama’s exceptional success under Saban has actually produced some ostentatious expectations every year, this year consisted of.”It’s like individuals are viewing and waiting on the first stumble or the very first loss,

and after that it’s like,” OK, you can ignore Alabama,'” said Milroe, who has actually accounted for 10 touchdowns in his previous 2 games.”We always knew we were going to be an operate in progress, starting with me. “Saban stated there have been seasons at Alabama where it was hard to delight in success. It has actually been the opposite this season,

and he stated that has shown up in the way this team has actually approached practice and games. “Perhaps it’s due to the fact that we started badly and everyone sort of kicked us off to the curb,”Saban stated.”But this team from the very start always had the best mindset. We weren’t excellent in the start, however we had the right mindset and they simply kept that and they kept revealing resiliency and overcoming misfortune. I imply, individually and jointly as players, they’ve continued to establish.”The expectations don’t actually bother me. It’s not like I walk around going,’Oh s–, everyone thinks I’m supposed to win every game,’due to the fact that I think like that.

That pressure’s on myself, however it was hard often to view how it affected the players. However this group has actually been enjoyable. They have a good time playing, which makes it enjoyable being around them and enjoyable to coach.”Saban is 44-6 in his previous 50 games versus SEC challengers, and the Tide have actually continued to recruit at an elite level. But they have actually likewise lost 17 players to the NFL draft over the past 2 years, and some of their depth has actually taken a hit thanks to the transfer website. In some methods, Saban thinks there might have been more players, comparable to Milroe, entering into this season sensation as if they had something to prove.”I believe that has some impact on guys, too,”Saban stated.”When you go into the season and you have 15 to 20 guys that have NFL grades and four or five of them have first-round grades before the season ever starts, there’s a various sort of pressure, expectation or whatever that guy places on himself that makes it harder for him. “On this team, we have a couple of guys that probably have first-round grades, but they became that by the method they played this year.”Saban, in keeping with the enjoyable theme, acknowledged that he has done a few things with this group that

he has never truly carried out in the past. Case in point: He’s continuously advising his players to conduct themselves with class, and among the players jokingly called him out on it and informed Saban that he cusses in meetings and “that ain’t revealing class.”Saban promised to pay$ 5 every time he cussed in conferences going forward.”So I hear they have actually got a pot downstairs,”Saban joked.Milroe stated not to be tricked since Saban”still has that same edge to him. “But what has made it work for everybody, Milroe said, is that this is a player-led group.” We don’t accept mediocrity and hold each other accountable, so the hope is that Coach Saban needs to shout less,”Milroe said.” But he’s still going to yell. “