Nick Saban on Alabama beating Arkansas in tough game

Alabama head coach Nick Saban had high praise for Arkansas after the Crimson Tide won a tough contest over the Razorbacks, 42-35. Saban commented afterwards in his postgame interview on the field about how tough playing SEC opponents is. Alabama won the game and secured their appearance in the SEC title game behind a record-setting performance from quarterback Bryce Young.

Nick Saban calls Arkansas game “tough”

“There’s a lot of things that we can correct,” Saban stated immediately after the game, criticizing his team’s mistakes before praising their effort. “Look, these guys have played hard all year long. It’s tough in the SEC, it’s tough in the [SEC] West. I knew they had a good team and I knew it was going to be a tough game, so I’m proud of our players and the way they finished.”

The criticisms he addressed specifically included the Alabama defense giving up so many points, and mistakes his offense made in the red zone. With only a touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, Alabama fumbled the football just outside of the Arkansas goal line. Earlier in the game Bryce Young scrambled to keep a play alive and ended up taking a sack that pushed back their field goal attempt, which Alabama missed.

Saban also mentioned mistakes on special teams, where Arkansas scored a touchdown on a fake field goal attempt.

Despite their struggles, Saban’s Alabama squad qualified for the SEC championship game against Georgia. If Alabama fails to beat Georgia, the commonly held belief is that they would fail to make the College Football Playoff as a two-loss team.

Bryce Young sets Alabama record

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young added to his Heisman resume Saturday, setting the single-game school record for passing yards. Young broke the record on a 27-yard pass to Slade Bolden early in the fourth quarter against Arkansas.

He surpassed Scott Hunter, who previously held the record after throwing for 484 yards in the 1969 Iron Bowl. Young finished the contest with 561 yards and five touchdowns as Alabama won 42-35.

The victory marked the 15th straight for the Crimson Tide against Arkansas. It also guaranteed the Crimson Tide a spot in the SEC Championship Game, as they clinched the SEC West division.

Young entered Saturday with 3,025 yards passing and 33 touchdowns, the latter leading the SEC. Alabama currently sits at No. 2 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The Crimson Tide are in search of their seventh Playoff appearance, which would lead all schools.

The passing record from Bryce Young certainly boosts his chance to bring the Heisman Trophy home to Tuscaloosa. Other candidates include Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.