Nick Saban: Cincinnati secondary filled with 'ballhawkers'

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide may be the favorites heading into the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup vs. Cincinnati, but the Alabama head coach fully understands the talent on the Bearcats’ defense, particularly in the secondary.

“Their two corners are long, they are good players, they play a lot of man to man, they have good ball skills and are good man to man players,” Saban said.

The Cincinnati defense is highlighted by the secondary duo of consensus All-American defensive backs Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant and Nick Saban and the Alabama coaching staff are fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead.

On the season the Bearcats have 18 interceptions led by Deshawn Pace with four and Arquon Bush, Bryant and Gardner have three. The secondary has 49 pass break ups on the season.

Nick Saban collectively described the Cincinnati defense as a group of ‘ballhawkers’.

“You know they are aggressive in the way that they play,” Saban added.

“They don’t make a lot of mistakes, they are smart. They can mix it up and play zone. They are ballhawkers, they are all ballhawkers back there. They really attack the ball, they got a lot of turnovers. So it’s just really a talented group.”

Nick Saban breaks down Cincinnati front seven

Saban is tasked with preparing for the Cincinnati Bearcats for the first time in his career, as the Crimson Tide — now ranked No. 1 by the College Football Playoff committee — will face Luke Fickell’s No. 4 Cincinnati team in the Cotton Bowl.

Cincinnati’s front seven comes in at 19th in the FBS with 37 sacks, while also ranking No. 6 with 96 tackles for loss. Beyond the box score, as Saban and Alabama study Cincinnati, the Crimson Tide head coach said he’s impressed by the front seven’s ability to avoid mistakes.

“They’re very active, they’re very aggressive, they’re a good group” Nick Saban said of Cincinnati’s front seven.

“They play a three-three stack, they slide over to a four-down front sometimes. They plug a lot of backers, they have a lot of good pressures, they play a lot of man-to-man, but they change it up quite a bit. They play very well together as a team. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They fit the runs, they do the things they need to do to have success together as a group and they’ve got some very talented guys.”

Regardless of Cincinnati’s defense, Alabama is a heavy favorite to beat the Bearcats in the Cotton Bowl, as the Crimson Tide are favored by two touchdowns.

Still, this season has been proof that any team can win at any time and Nick Saban refuses to overlook the talent that lies in the way of Alabama’s quest for back-to-back national title victories.