Nick Saban challenges team to maintain focus for 60 minutes against Tennessee

No. 11 Alabama hosts No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday — and head coach Nick Saban doesn’t want to see another lapse in focus like he saw from his team one week ago.

The Crimson Tide head coach believes his team had come a long way before nearly giving away last week’s victory. Still, he made his expectations clear and expects his team to play a complete game regardless of the score.

“Our team has made a lot of progress. Some of it is psychological, some of it is the ability to communicate and execute — and it’s at every position,” Saban said on Thursday. “Just like last week, we lost our collective focus [against Arkansas] halfway through the third quarter ahead 24-6. Everybody lost their mental intensity, their energy level, everybody got relief syndrome because we were ahead in the game … the momentum changes and it’s hard to get it back.

“There are lessons to be learned from that. Our young team learned that we have to play for. 60 minutes. You have to have the poise and confidence to keep playing for the next play. You can’t get frustrated when something goes bad, so you have to play for 60 minutes in a game. You can’t look at the scoreboard — you can’t let all of these external factors impact what happens in the game.”

The noise surrounding Tuscaloosa has shifted over the past few seasons, instead of the constant question of ‘Who can beat Alabama?’ it has been replaced by whether or not they can still hang in the modern landscape of college football.

Part of that, according to Saban, is the simple fact that losing players to the transfer portal has forced him to play younger guys. It has, in a way, humanized the Alabama roster because those guys are being shoehorned into the starting lineup likely sooner than Saban originally anticipated.

“I know the expectation is that we can replace anybody anytime and they’re going to step in and play like a first-round draft pick,” Saban continued. “That’s not necessarily true. We all have to have time to develop players. One thing is, the guys that went into the portal [last season], they were all juniors and seniors. If you take the guys that replace them, they’re all freshmen and sophomores.

“You end up having a younger team and you end up having to develop from a lower level of experience and knowledge, which helps create confidence and communication. All these things help them play with better consistency and performance. Consistency and performance is what defines success.”

It seems these lessons are beginning to click for the Crimson Tide, who have strung together five consecutive wins since losing its Week 2 matchup against Texas. They’ll look to continue that streak against Tennessee at home this weekend.