Alabama coach Nick Saban was sidelined for Saturday’s Iron Bowl due to a positive COVID-19 test.

That left OC Steve Sarkisian filling in for him, and he guided the Crimson Tide to a big 42-13 victory over Auburn.

After the game, Saban spoke with the media, crediting the entire coaching staff for executing the game plan:

“I think the coaching staff did a marvelous job today,” Saban said. “They played the situation, we had a good plan. They stayed with the plan, they executed the plan. Sark did a nice job of managing things. I sat here and felt a little helpless, but I could see things and yell at things, listen to Mrs. Terry cheer downstairs, it is a little different. It still feels good to win.”

Saban weighed in on Sark’s performance specifically, saying there weren’t many game situations where a big decision was needed, but that he did a good job:

“I didn’t think there was a lot. I didn’t think there was a lot of those real tough situations that came up. A couple of times we made it on third down, but we could have gone for it on fourth down. Those decisions didn’t really come up. I thought he was well prepared for what he needed to do, and I think he did a really good job.”

No one can fully replace Saban on the sidelines. Hopefully, he recovers and is able to return next weekend.