Nick Saban breaks down how Alabama overcame 'self implosions' in first half

Alabama head coach Nick Saban earned a win against Lane Kiffin, one of his former assistant coaches, and Ole Miss on Saturday. That win came despite several mistakes that Alabama made during the first half of the win.

During his press conference on Monday, Saban opened up about those first half mistakes and explained that the team managed to overcome those implosions in the second half.

“Obviously, this was a great win for our team,” Nick Saban said. “Really proud of the way the guys came out and competed in the second half. Played a lot better in the second half.”

At halftime, Ole Miss led Alabama 7-6. That slight lead was partially the result of Alabama’s mistakes. That included an interception that quarterback Jalen Milroe was baited into throwing in the end zone and only getting a field goal after receiving a blocked kick less than five yards from the end zone and going backward on the drive.

“We had a couple of times in the first half where we sort of self-destructed a little bit with the way we executed and some of the things that we did, and sort of eliminated some of those things in the second half and played much cleaner and I think played the way we would like to continue to play and hopefully build on that,” Saban said.

“And sort of show the players today when we watched the film, here’s the reason that it worked and here’s the reason that it didn’t work, whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, or whatever, and that’s the way that you actually can have a chance to get better.”

In the second half, Alabama cleaned up its issues, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Now, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will look to come out faster against Mississippi State.

Nick Saban reflected on playing Mississippi State after Mike Leach’s passing

This will be the first time Alabama and Mississippi State play following Mike Leach‘s death. Ahead of that meeting, Nick Saban took the time to reflect on the loss of Mike Leach.

“I loved Mike Leach, he was different but in a good way,” Saban said. “Had a great sense of humor, obviously presented an offensive system and scheme, whatever you want to call it or name it, that was unique and very challenging. But he believed in it and kind of did it his way and I always had a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach, but really liked him as a person.”