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Bryce Young hilariously adds context to viral video of transitioning from celebrating to Nick Saban

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle09/08/22

NikkiChavanelle

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Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback Bryce Young went viral on Saturday night after a touchdown celebration quickly turned into a one-on-one talk with head coach Nick Saban. Young went up in the air with a finger roll-style celebration then immediately moved into dapping up the 70-year-old head coach.

On Breaking the Huddle with Joel Klatt, Young shared what was going through his mind in the viral moment after his touchdown. Klatt suggested that the move was so smooth, that it looked rehearsed.

“Coach is smooth like that, you feel me, that’s him,” Young said. “It’s funny that the camera caught it because you’re celebrating with your teammates and we had just scored, you know, so we celebrate for the time being, and then coach, I had messed up earlier in the drive, I made a mistake, and that was on me. I didn’t handle the operation correctly and I could tell from Coach’s body language and everything that he was ready to tell me about it.

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“Right when I saw him, which was like right in mid-air, I realized, I was like, alright cool, I probably should dial this back because I already know what I’m going to hear about. We talked about it, he told me what I had to do on that and he was completely right.”

Young takes care of business in Game 1

The moment was a great look at how seriously Young takes his job as an extension of Saban on the field, in a rare side-by-side of a player having fun and taking care of business. Young kept up his offensive barrage against Utah State, scoring four passing touchdowns before the second quarter was halfway over — as the Crimson Tide built a 31-0 lead in their season opener.

Alabama didn’t let off the gas as they continued to rout Utah State, building a 55-0 lead in the fourth quarter. Young’s day finished early after scoring six total touchdowns — five passing and one rushing — and throwing for 195 yards while rushing for 100 more. Although the offensive output trailed off with the game completely in control, the reigning Heisman winner still ended the day as the team’s leading passer and rusher both.

Next up, Alabama meets another college football giant on the field Saturday in Austin. For the first time since the 2009 national championship, Alabama and Texas face off against one another. There are plenty of storylines to follow and ESPN’s College Gameday will be there to tell them.

On3’s Austin Brezina contributed to this report.