Nick Saban isn’t the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide any longer, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about the program where he won six national titles.
Before Alabama faces off against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Saban offered a word of warning to head coach Kalen DeBoer and his Crimson Tide. The seven-time national champion knows the highs of a winning streak can lead to complacency against lesser opponents.
“With Alabama, they’ve come off the gauntlet of four straight ranked teams,” Saban said during ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday morning, via 247Sports. “But last year they struggled coming off games like that, playing teams that were unranked and lost twice — Vandy and Oklahoma. They need to prove that they can do that.”
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Saban harkened back to the 2010 season when a loss to the Gamecocks derailed a lengthy winning streak.
“Let me tell you, in 2010 we had won 19 games in a row, we went to South Carolina when [Steve] Spurrier was coaching there. Big favorites, and we got the lining kicked out of our ass. If I was coaching in this game, I would be really concerned if I was Alabama,” he said.
“If I was the coach at Alabama right now, I’d be really nervous going to South Carolina. LaNorris Sellers is a guy that can make plays, so that’s gonna challenge Alabama’s defense. But the key is, can Alabama control the game and control the line of scrimmage on offense? They’ve struggled to run the ball consistently. They’ve had a great passing game — I think their receivers against the secondary are probably an advantage for them if they can block Dylan Stewart, who is a great pass rusher and affect Ty Simpson. That will be a key to the game.”
Alabama and South Carolina are scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC.
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