Nick Saban was accused by multiple accounts, including the official SportsCenter Twitter account and Barstool Sports’s Unnecessary Roughness, of appearing unhappy with Alabama’s dominance against Georgia in the first half.
In a game that saw the odds shift from Alabama to Georgia and back again several times, the Crimson Tide looked like the best team in the country with first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer leading the charge.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe amassed over 100 yards passing and over 100 yards rushing during the first half. Georgia QB Carson Beck, on the other hand, threw two interceptions and had a sub-50% conversion rate (7/17 passing). Beck even ceded a safety by intentionally grounding the ball while in the endzone.
Even more impressively than Milroe’s dominance was the “Bama Standard” being upheld by the Crimson Tide defense. Alabama held Georgia to 0/5 on third downs and shut down all facets of the Bulldogs’ offense.
Many of those defenders were Saban recruits. Milroe was the QB Saban refused to give up on in 2023 and became a sixth-place Heisman finisher.
Saban’s handprints are all over Alabama’s current roster. But perhaps he’s upset that DeBoer is going to get the glory that he earned on the recruiting trail and through years of building a winning culture in Tuscaloosa.
Nick Saban is still employed by Alabama
Maybe Saban is upset, but he may just be smiling inside knowing that his continued employment with the University of Alabama – complete with an office at Bryant-Denny Stadium – is still helping propel the Crimson Tide to great heights.
After all, it’s not like Saban hasn’t beaten Kirby Smart before. That was his final win as a head coach during the 2023 SEC Championship.
Anyone worrying about Saban watching the program he built thrive is probably worrying about the wrong things.
