Nick Saban defends viral Vanderbilt comments: 'If you look at the stadium, half the people were Alabama people'

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban made his transition into the media this year and already had fanbases pulling up his receipts on previous comments he’s made. Highlighted by his viral remark about Vanderbilt being an easy place to play resurfacing following the Commodores 40-35 upset win over the Crimson Tide last weekend.

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea addressed the comments and the quote even made it’s way to a sign at a Cook Out restaurant in Nashville. But when Pat McAfee brought to Saban’s attention that the clip of his comment made it to Vanderbilt’s stadium video board following their upset win, the former Crimson Tide head coach double down on his initial take.

“It was a passing comment obviously and I think it’s been relatively true for a very long time,” McAfee said on his show Friday. “But as soon as they get that win this past weekend over Bama, they run that clip in the stadium immediately afterwards and the place goes crazy. So you were there.”

“But if you looked at the stadium, half the people were Alabama fans,” Saban responded getting laugh out of McAfee and his crew.

Alabama’s fans did have a strong presence in FirstBank Stadium last weekend, but that didn’t stop the Commodores from securing their first win over the Crimson Tide since 1984. Coming fresh off the heels of Saban retiring and never falling to Vanderbilt while coaching Alabama. Outscoring the Commodores 172-13 in his four matchups against the program.

Saban made his original comment during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show ahead of Tennessee and Oklahoma‘s matchup in Week 4. A conversation about hostile road game environments in the SEC that turned into Vanderbilt catching a stray that would eventually come full circle.

“The only place you’re going to play in the SEC that’s not hard to play, Vanderbilt,” Saban said in September. “When you play at Vanderbilt, you have more fans there than they have, and that’s no disrespect to them, it’s the truth.”

Alabama will look to bounce back from their upset loss when they host South Carolina this weekend, with the Commodores’ momentum being challenged on the road on Saturday when they visit Kentucky in Lexington.