Nick Saban on loss vs. Texas: ‘It’s midterm, it’s not the final’

Alabama‘s 34-24 loss to Texas at home was the ninth suffered by head coach Nick Saban inside Bryant-Denny Stadium during his 17-year tenure.

Still, the Week 2 matchup was early enough in the season to where the Crimson Tide should be able to rebound unscathed in the long run if they can right their wrongs in the coming weeks. One more loss could ruin all of that, so Alabama is going to have to tread lightly if it doesn’t want to miss out on the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season.

“This was a test for us. I told the players early in the week last week that this was gonna be a test, that we were gonna play a really good team and we would actually find out where we were as a team,” Saban said postgame. “And this was a test for everybody.

“It was a test for the coaches, it was a test for me, it was a test for all the players, and we obviously didn’t do very well. But it’s the midterm, not the final. So if we can learn from some of the mistakes that we made, coaches and players alike, we can all get better and have a lot better opportunity, I think, to be successful in the future.”

Saban said that everyone in his program has two choices after the loss — they can either throw in the towel, quit and “be mediocre,” or his guys can choose to embrace the grind in order to be successful. He used the word committed when describing what himself, his coaching staff and roster are going to have to do do better to avoid upset losses like his in the future.

After Alabama took its first lead of the game in the third quarter, penalties — two of which negated touchdowns — along with allowing 10 points off turnovers and getting exposed in the downfield passing game are all things Saban pointed toward in terms of what he’s planning on fixing this week in practice.

“It all starts with me, and I obviously let our team down in terms of how we were able to execute and play,” Saban said. “… We have to correct all those things if we’re gonna be able to play and have the kind of team we’re capable of playing. 

“I believe in these players. These players have worked hard. There was a great atmosphere in the stadium tonight. I appreciate the fans. They did their part, for sure. We didn’t do our part well enough. It starts me with, as I said before. But we’re gonna do everything we can to get it right and get it fixed.”