Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban
“There were a couple firsts for me today. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a game called off, and it’s the first time I ever beat the media to the press conference.
“I would have liked to go back out there and finish the game, and I know our players would have liked the same thing. More players probably would have had the opportunity to play. Some of the guys that were getting to play, and certainly need to play to gain experience, would have been able to finish the game. I think the circumstances were such that we would have had to wait a significant amount of time to be able to go back out there because of the lightning and storms. I think everybody made a good decision to just end the game.
“I was really proud of the way our players competed in the game today. I thought we went out and improved some as a team. I think we played fast. I liked the intensity that we played with. I think that there are a lot of things that we did well, but I also think that mistakes that we made were critical. Whether it was what we did right before the end of the half, such as taking a sack when we could have kicked a field goal, or calling the wrong play and fumbling the ball on the opening drive of the second half. Some of those things are not the types of things that you would like to happen, but there are opportunities for our players to learn.
“Amari Cooper played an outstanding game again today. Our offense didn’t punt all day, but we also didn’t finish drives in the red area, which is something that we definitely need to continue to work on.
“Defensively, we probably played a little better today, but still didn’t wrap up on some tackles and tried to butt people into the ground instead of tackling properly. Those are things that we definitely need to work on and improve.
“Looking ahead, that’s what the focus needs to be for our team. We need to continue to improve. It was good that we got to play both quarterbacks in the game today. Blake (Sims) played well except for one play. Jake (Coker) got some experience, and I think that experience should help his confidence and his ability to play with a little better rhythm. He did some very good things today as well.”
On Jake Coker’s performance :
“I thought he did well in the second half. We wanted to go out in the second half like we were playing any game – whether we were ahead or behind. We put a pretty good drive together [to start the half] and messed it up on the 2 yard line. We wanted to give both quarterbacks an opportunity to play and I thought Jake played just as well in the second half as he did in the first half. He played a little better as time went on. I’m sure nobody feels worse than him for missing the guy in the flats in the redzone wide open. He’ll definitely get better because of it.”
On the offensive line’s play:
“The offensive line has done a really good job. The way we are playing offense now helps them, because we sell the run plays [when the defense loads the] box. That’s why there are always a lot of quick passes and [screens] – those type of things. I think there’s a lot of things we need to improve on, but our offensive line has done a good job two weeks in a row.”
#6 Blake Sims, Quarterback
On the efficiency of the offense:
“I’m very happy about the way things went. The coaching staff did a good job with play calling and the players did very well executing the plays.
On Amari Cooper and what it’s like having him on the field:
“It’s good because with him out there you can’t just focus on the running game. You also can’t forget about the other players we have because they can make plays just as well as he can. Congratulations to him on tying the record.”
#26 Landon Collins, Defensive Back
On the mentality of the defensive and how they played as a group:
“As a group, we were all focused on our keys and our concepts, and we were all one defense. As a whole, we had a lot of talking going on and keeping each other on the right page and that’s the type of defense that we want. Once we do that we are going to make unbelievable stops.”
On Eddie Jackson’s return to the lineup:
“He looked phenomenal. That’s the Eddie (Jackson) that we know. That’s the Eddie that’s going to come out and hit somebody and that’s what he did today. He came to show everyone that he’s ready to play and that he’s back.”
#79 Austin Shepherd, Offensive Lineman
On the performance of the offense
“They loaded the box on us so we were (throwing) smoke screens out there and letting the receivers do their job. Both quarterbacks did a great job, and I was really proud of both of them.”
On taking every game one at a time
“The way we look at it, every opponent is a faceless opponent. Coach tries to put it as, don’t even worry about what their logo is or what their team name is. We just approach every week like it’s a game and no matter who’s out on the field, we just need to go play Alabama football.”
FAU Head Coach Charlie Partridge
“Obviously our administrations ended up calling the game short.
“We just got done playing against one of the best football teams in the country. They play at a high level and they’ve got players all over the field.
“The thing that excites me coming out of the game – without seeing stats and things like that – there are things we did early in the game poorly, but we did them better as the game went on. We had several true freshmen on the field that were going against the likes of (Alabama wide receiver) Amari Cooper and some of the best players in the country.
“They showed that they have the chance to develop into the kind of team and program that, at some point, will be able to perform better for a points comparison against the likes of Alabama. This is a great football program.
“All credit goes to coach (Nick) Saban and his crew for what they were able to do today. Now we will restart as we get ready to play our home opener against Tulsa.”
On the difference between (Blake) Sims and (Jacob) Coker:
“They are both good players. My first reaction to it is that one is a little bit more dangerous with his feet than the other. Sims made us pay with his feet early in the game. They are both talented. Quite honestly, I’m sure Coach (Nick) Saban was taking this opportunity, when they got up a couple of touchdowns ahead of us, to give Coker a chance to show what he could do. I’m not speaking for him, but now he has a chance to compare the two, but they are both good players.”
On what types of problems Amari Cooper presented:
“He’s one of the best receivers in the country. He’s someone that’s going to keep your hands full. He’s someone you have to account for, but as soon as you roll over and start to account for him then you’re starting to lighten the box. When you’re light in the box, you see they have tremendous running backs in the backfield. Coach (Lane) Kiffin is doing a very nice job. Honestly, I’m happy that he did his two-minute drill at the end of the first half because just as it was for them, it was an opportunity for us to execute that drill. At the end of the day, we will both, as teams, be better as the season goes on for having gone through that moment.”
#6 Greg Hankerson, Quarterback
On moving the ball well, but not scoring:
“I don’t know what it was. We were moving, but just weren’t finishing the drives and executing. Alabama just executed.”
On his preparation for this week:
“I felt like I was ready because I’ve been practicing the whole spring and had a hold of the offense. I felt like I was ready to play. I had a mindset already, and I knew I was going in.”
#18 Christian Milstead, Defensive Back
On challenges from the Alabama offense:
“From a scheme point of view, they’re a pretty simple scheme team. They’re pretty much based off of ‘Our players are better than yours. You know what we’re going to run. Let’s see if you can stop it.’ They’re a great team. They do what they do on offense and there’s a reason why they win the way they do.”
On what Alabama did to make them successful:
“They watch film just like everybody else. They saw a couple of things we did bad last week, and that’s what they tried to go after. They were successful on some of those things, but on other things that we struggled on last week we did better with this week. They played good football.”
_ From University of Alabama sports information
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
