Rewind Sabanâs press conference after Alabama’s Arkansas win
Alabama football beat Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide moved to 6-1 on the season with the win, 4-1 in SEC play.
Even though Alabama got the win on the scoreboard against a team it was favored to beat by 20 points, it wasn’t always a sure thing. The Razorbacks came storming back in the second half to make the game close in the final minutes.
After the game, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is set to speak to reporters. Follow along here for the latest updates from his postgame press conference.
— Saban says the win was great and it’s good to be undefeated in the SEC, but there’s a difference between beating the other team and winning the game. Says Alabama played pretty well until it was up 24-6, then didn’t finish.
— Says Alabama had enough resilience to run out the clock at the end of the game. Says he hopes Alabama learns how to beat the other team, not just win the game.
— Saban says Alabama ran the ball well the first time it had possession in the second half. Says Tide has four running backs it thinks can play and will play them all whenever it gets the chance.
— Says Alabama’s first drive of the second half was its best drive, but it didn’t finish. Says Alabama didn’t execute how it needed to. Notes Jaylen Key’s face mask penalty as a point of breakdown for the Tide. Says he hopes Alabama realizes what it takes in the week leading up to games.
— Notes how difficult Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is to tackle.
— Says Alabama has to handle pressure better. Says he thinks Alabama will learn with experience.
— Saban says he’s extremely happy for Will Reichard, who broke the SEC’s scoring record Saturday. Notes that NIL made it so he could come back for a final season to improve his kickoff ability. Said Reichard is one of the best players to come through Alabama, regardless of position.
— Says he doesn’t think CJ Dippre and Trezman Marshall are seriously injured.
— Says he thinks Alabama’s secondary played better with a week of preparation for Malachi Moore being out. Praises Caleb Downs and Terrion Arnold’s performances, says Kristian Story stepped up, among other Alabama DBs.