Javion Cohen after Alabama's first loss: 'We've been in this position before'
Although some talking heads may be ringing the warning bells on the Crimson Tide’s season, Alabama players are keeping their cool heading into Week 8. Ahead of the Tide’s game versus No. 24 Mississippi State on Saturday, offensive lineman Javion Cohen described the team’s mindset after taking their first loss versus Tennessee.
“We’ve been in this spot before, that’s one thing we all know,” Cohen said. “We all, of course, did not want to lose Saturday. But we’ve been in this spot before. Of course, there’s a 24-hour rule. So, once the 24 hours are up, on to the next week. It’s Mississippi State this week. Going to focus on getting back to the Alabama standard and playing as hard as we can.”
The 6-foot-5 lineman was a starter on the 2021 squad that fought back from a midseason loss to win the SEC title and a spot in the CFP final.
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There’s still a lot the Crimson Tide needs to work on, which was evident in Saturday’s loss. They committed 17 penalties, but that number should plummet this week with the home-field advantage on their side versus the Bulldogs.
Coincidentally, Alabama also faced Mississippi State last season when they were coming off their first loss. Nick Saban’s squad took the win in dominant fashion with a score of 49-9. The game on Saturday is in primetime on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.
Nick Saban lays out silver lining after Tennessee loss
Despite the Tide’s disappointment at losing to the Vols for the first time in 15 years, Nick Saban shared an uplifting message after the game. He reminded the team that the single loss hasn’t derailed their overall goals for the season.
“I also told the players, we can accomplish every goal that we had at the beginning of the season,” Saban said. “There’s no room for error in the West. If we win out the West, we can win the West and still have a chance to go to the SEC championship game. But I think the key to the drill is, you have to learn from these experiences, learn from the mistakes that you made.”
According to ESPN, more than half (20) of the 32 teams that have made the CFP since 2014 have had a loss on their record. That includes the 2021 Crimson Tide, which lost to Texas A&M in the regular season.