Nick Saban reacts to narrow win over Arkansas
Nick Saban and the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide got all they could handle from No. 21 Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
When all was said and done, the Tide held on for a 42-35 victory to clinch the SEC West title and stay in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth.
After the game, Saban spoke with CBS sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl, praising the Razorbacks while also adding that there were plenty of areas the Tide could have played better in:
“I think it was a win, a’ight, so we’re happy about that,” Saban said. “We didn’t play great on defense, which is an issue we’ve gotta get resolved. And we didn’t finish drives in the red zone, which is another issue. We fumbled the ball on the 2-yard line, we take a sack and miss a field goal. We did a lot of things — gave them a fake field goal for a touchdown — there’s a lot of things we can correct, a’ight. But, look, these guys have played hard all year long. It’s tough in the SEC and it’s tough in the West. I knew they had a good team and this would be a tough game. I’m proud of our players and the way they competed.”
Still, as Saban said, a win is a win. The Tide will take this happily and focus on the Iron Bowl next week.
Then, it’s off to Atlanta for a date with No. 1 Georgia.