Nick Saban admits he saw 'complacency, almost even arrogance' from Alabama after Georgia win

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban believes that the Crimson Tide’s response after beating Georgia earlier this season contributed to last Saturday’s stunning loss to Vanderbilt.

Saban spoke on ESPN College GameDay Saturday morning about what he saw from Alabama following the huge win over the Bulldogs.

“Well, you know, I saw a little bit of complacency, almost even arrogance, after the Georgia win,” Nick Saban said. “And that creates a blatant disregard for doing what’s right, preparing wise, ready to play with the kind of balance you need psychologically to be able to compete at a high level. And you’ve got to respect every opponent.

“But I really do think that the thing I always preached to our team was it’s all about what you do. It’s all about how you prepare. And nothing that you’ve done in the past is ever going to impact what happens in the future. So that’s just a learning experience that you have to take with you so you can improve.”

Alabama particularly struggled on defense against the Commodores. Vanderbilt put up 40 points and was 12 of 18 on third down. The third-down defense numbers were tough for Saban to comprehend.

“The big thing in the game to me was 12 of 18 Vanderbilt on third down conversions. I mean you cannot play anybody in the country and let them keep the ball that much,” Saban said. “I mean 30 percent of third-down conversions would be like pretty good. Sixty-seven percent? Give me a break.”

In addition to Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit was also bothered by what he saw from Alabama against Vanderbilt.

Herbstreit felt that the Crimson Tide had way less composure against the Commodores than they did when Saban was the head coach.

“The trash talking from Alabama, one thing I used to text coach after he’d win a national championship or big game is, ‘Man, I really always respect the way your teams play, the way they play.’ You really didn’t see a lot of them talking to the opponent,” Herbstreit said. “This Alabama team this year, they’re more busy talking to the opponent and the opponent’s fans than they are about executing. That’s all brand new, in my opinion, for Alabama. Malachi Moore, who came out and apologized, kicking the football. Just not Alabama for me. So hopefully they clean that up and focus on the game.”