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NIck Saban says Alabama faces a ‘real challenge and opportunity’ against one of nation’s top teams
By Corey Long
Published:
Nick Saban sat down for a 10-minute interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith in advance of Saturday’s game against Tennessee.
The Alabama head coach often has fun sending messages through the media to get the attention of his players, but this interview was very straightforward and direct with Saban offering a lot of his feelings going into the game.
“It’s a real challenge, an opportunity for our players to go up against one of the best teams in the country…I think…and we how we do. Obviously we want to win, but we want to win every game.”
He was also very complimentary of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
“This guy is an outstanding player. He can beat you with his arm. He’s got really good arm talent. They made a lot of exploive plays because they have really good skill guys…He has tremendous command of the offense. He’s very comfortable.”
The wide-ranging interview features Saban’s thoughts on the growth of his team and the confidence level of the Crimson Tide if quarterback Bryce Young is unavailable. He also talks about chest bumping with former running back and Heisman winner Mark Ingram.
One thing that Saban emphasizes is the different areas of mental toughness that comes with playing at Alabama. Saban has always put a high premium on mental toughness and preparation, often using the services of mental coach Trevor Moawad, who passed away in 2021.
The full interview is below.
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
