Alabama coach Nick Saban got the best of former assistant coach Jim McElwain when the Crimson Tide took down the Gators 29-15 during the SEC Championship on Saturday.
Here is a look at what each coach had to say during the aftermath.
Quotes gathered from ASAPsports.com.
Alabama coach Nick Saban
Opening address to the press:
As I said out on the field, very proud of this team. After the Ole Miss game, these players all said they wanted to be a different team. They wanted to do something special. And probably more than any other time I’ve ever coached, I wanted to see those guys succeed today and win the second back-to-back SEC Championship and have an opportunity to get in the playoff.
I think there’s a lot of people that deserve a lot of credit. These players have worked really, really hard. The coaches have worked really, really hard. We have a great team in Alabama, from our administration, athletic administration, Bill Battle, all of our coaching staff, all of our support staff that works to help these guys be more successful in life for having been in our program, whether it’s academic support, personal development, or being a better football player.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of this guy. He’s had a phenomenal season, and he deserves every accolade that anyone could ever throw his way.
We knew that this was going to be a tough game today and it would take sort of our best focus, our best mental and physical toughness, our best discipline to execute, and it was a tough game. Florida is a very good team. They should be congratulated for winning the East. They competed really hard out there today, and I have a lot of respect for Coach McElwain and their players.
But I sure was happy — I made a statement earlier that the best fighter doesn’t always win the fight. You’ve got to go fight the best fight, and that’s why we needed to respond today. Our players certainly did that.
So what’s important now, that spells win, w-i-n, and I think the players did all the things they needed to do to prepare for this game, and I’m really proud of their performance out there tonight.
On standout RB Derrick Henry and the leadership he provides:
I don’t know that I’ve coached many players that actually set a better example to affect other people. He doesn’t really do it for himself. He does it for them. That has as much work ethic, that doesn’t get frustrated, can overcome adversity, and really sets the best example every day not only on the field and how he practices and what he does, but how he lives his life, how he goes to school, how he does in class.
He’s not afraid to tell somebody else that this is a better way to do it. So he is a really good leader, sets a great example. I don’t know that there’s any player on the team that the team means more to them than it does to Derrick.
On where his mind was at about this team following the loss to Ole Miss:
I don’t think anybody really thought after the Ole Miss game this team would wind up here. To be honest with you, I had some questions in my mind as to whether we’d wind up here.
On how well this year’s team has prepared:
Sometimes you have really good teams that have talent, but they also — with that talent comes some issues. This team doesn’t have a lot of issues. So for where they came from, what they accomplished, what they did — I mean, I remember after the Ole Miss game, every time I would have a press conference, someone would ask me, what are you going to do this week to prepare better for this game? And I would say, if there was a better way, we would have done it last week because you asked me that question last week.
On whether or not the gameplan required in-game adjustment against Florida:
We didn’t make a lot of adjustments. The biggest thing, we had a good plan on defense. We knew what they were going to do. They had a lot of personnel groupings. The biggest one was we got a little messed up playing regular defense against two tights and two wides. And when they had 32 in there, it was all nickel formation. Once we made that adjustment, it was very beneficial to us. That was probably the biggest one we did in the game.
On the development of WR ArDarius Stewart:
ArDarius Stewart really came into his own at the end of last season, and then he got injured and missed the rest of the season. So then we kind of went back and — ArDarius is a guy that’s really had to learn how to pay attention to detail, do the little things right, and do it on a consistent basis. He has done that extremely well, and I think that’s the difference in his performance. He’s always been a talented guy, and he’s made some great plays for us this year.
On whether his team deserves a spot in the College Football Playoff:
Well, I certainly think that this team deserves being SEC champions — they were No. 2. I don’t know what they did out there tonight that would dispel their opportunity to play in a playoff.
Our league is a tough league, and we beat each other up. And then people say, well, you don’t have that many ranked teams this year. Well, that’s because we beat each other up. When we played a lot of teams this year, they were ranked in the top 15 or the top 10. Maybe they’re not now because we all have to play each other.
I think, if you win this league, you should deserve the opportunity to be in a playoff. Other than one game where we played poorly and turned the ball over five times, this team has shown a lot of consistency. Now, I’m sure there are a lot of other coaches out there who are going to lobby for their team being in it, but I would be surprised if anybody has a lot of doubt about whether we should or shouldn’t be in the playoff.
FLORIDA COACH JIM MCELWAIN
Opening statement to the press:
First and foremost, I can’t tell you how proud I am of our football team, our seniors, how hard they fought today. Obviously, my hat’s off to an outstanding Alabama Crimson Tide team that took our offense out of it. I thought our defense battled their tails off.
You know what, there’s a lot of disappointed guys in that locker room, and it was good to see. Because, as you go through life, you got ups, you got downs. Sometimes you know when you’ve invested as much as our guys have and a commitment to each other — I don’t think there were a lot of people around the country that thought we would be playing in this football game. And they never backed down.
We’re a program on the rise. We’re a program on the build. These seniors and guys that are going to come out early built a great foundation for the future, and I’m proud of them.
On if he was disappointed that a quality effort from his defense was wasted by poor offensive play:
It’s not disappointing. Look, you got to play a whole game — offense, defense, special teams. Our defense carried a lot of burden, and yet, you know what, there’s no quit in them, and there’s a lot that can be learned from that.
So, yeah, I’m disappointed. Probably could have taken a few more shots, tried to stretch the field a little bit more. Protection was an issue against this front, which we kind of knew going in, but they worked their tails off. We’ll have a good football team here in a lot of them in the future.
On why RB Kelvin Taylor was limited to just eight yards on seven carries:
Shoot, guys, they won the line of scrimmage. That’s what big, strong, highly recruited guys do. That’s why we’re getting on the road as soon as we leave right now.
On the meaning of getting to play in this game, even if the Gators lost:
I think, as I said, part of it is the discovery of this football team. What have we discovered? The taste of being here, you can’t put a price tag on that because the thirst to get back becomes, oh, so great. And yet there’s a lot of things in life that are very similar. It’s what you learn from it.
On how QB Treon Harris performed in the game:
I’m sure he missed some throws and missed some plays, but he competed his tail off. He was in it. He didn’t look rattled. He’s our quarterback, and I’m proud of him.
On WR Antonio Callaway:
He’s a great player. I’ll tell you what, I’m so happy that he’s here. He’s a guy, I’m going to just tell you, from just personally, a guy that truly lights up a room with his smile, the warmth of his heart. He’s a guy I love to be around. He’s one that affects the people around him, including the coaches, in a positive way. This guy’s got a couple of really good years left for the Gators.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
