Nick Saban Admits ‘Bad Decisions’ Led to Two Biggest Regrets of Alabama Tenure
· Yahoo Sports
Nick Saban is widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches in the history of college football. He is most famously known for coaching the Alabama Crimson Tide football program, where he earned most of his success and fame.
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He currently works as an ESPN analyst and covers college football. Despite his immense success, he has also made some mistakes. He recently admitted to some of his greatest regrets.
Nick Saban reveals regret with “Kick Six”
Saban led Alabama to six national championships in the 17 seasons he spent there. In an interview with SiriusXM’s Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, he talked about two of his in-game decisions he regrets the most. The first decision occurred in the 2013 Iron Bowl. With one second remaining and Alabama trailing, Saban authorized kicker Adam Griffith to attempt a 57-yard field goal. Although a timeout had previously left no returner, Auburn then positioned Chris Davis deep.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectSaban later stated he preferred not to kick once he saw the return setup, but players repeatedly insisted Griffith could make it. He instructed the coverage unit to execute properly, yet the kick fell short, Davis returned it 109 yards for the game-winning “Kick Six” touchdown, and Auburn advanced to the SEC Championship and BCS title game while Alabama was eliminated from contention.
Saban said, “Kick Six … there’s one second to go in the game. In fact, they put a second on the clock. It’s a 59-yard field goal. Now, the guy can make it, and there’s a little wind with him. When I saw them put a guy back to return it, I didn’t really want to kick the field goal, but the players kept telling me ‘he can make it, he can make it, he can make it.”
He added, “Now, before, when there was no guy back there because we called timeout, I didn’t have any problem, because there was no consequence. So I listened to the players and let him kick it. I told our players they got to cover, but they didn’t cover right or very well. We did practice that play. So that was one time I listened to players.” The coach also added one more incident that he still regrets.
Nick Saban reveals regret with Tua Tagovailoa injury
The second regret came on November 16, 2019, in a 38-7 victory over Mississippi State. Alabama led 35-7 with roughly two minutes left in the first half. Tua Tagovailoa, already limited from a prior loss to LSU, had been told by Saban he was finished for the day. He also informed offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian of the decision. Tagovailoa remained in and suffered a season-ending hip injury on a scramble after an awkward tackle. The loss of the quarterback contributed to Alabama’s subsequent Iron Bowl defeat and absence from the College Football Playoff despite a top-five ranking.
Saban described the incident, “Second time was when Tua [Tagovailoa] got hurt. We were ahead 35-6. There was two minutes to go in a half. We got the ball back and I had already told Tua you’re done for the day. I told [Steve Sarkisian], who was the offensive coordinator at the time, Tua’s done for the day. And he got hurt. I made a lot of bad decisions.”
While he regrets these two decisions, Nick Saban is still one of the most legendary figure in college football.
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