Nick Saban on Alabama's self-inflicted wounds: 'We shot ourselves in the foot'

For just the second time ever, Alabama has dropped a College Football Playoff semifinal game. Michigan was able to win the Rose Bowl, taking down Nick Saban and earning a spot in the national championship game. A heartbreaking result for the Crimson Tide after finishing the year out on such a strong note.

When discussing what went wrong for Alabama, Saban mentioned the self-inflicted plays. Mainly the pressure Michigan was able to get when Jalen Milroe dropped back to pass, recording six sacks on the afternoon.

And there were plenty of penalties committed by Alabama that damaged drives. Most of them were on the offensive end before the snap got off.

“We had too many drive-stopping plays on offense,” Saban said. “We shot ourselves in the foot. A sack is a drive-stopping play. Getting a penalty is usually a drive-stopping play. So, some of those things we self-inflicted. I told them before the game ‘It’s going to be about what we do.’ And when you look back at it, it’s kind of about what we did and what we didn’t do.”

Saban went on to say the self-inflicted wounds have nothing to do with what Michigan was able to accomplish and even wished them well moving forward. However, the frustration is evident where Saban may feel like Alabama beat itself on Monday afternoon.

Just three penalties show up in the stat sheet for Alabama for a total of 15 yards. No, it’s not the most egregious number, especially when compared to some games over the past two seasons under Saban. But somehow, they all felt to come at important moments and put the offense behind the sticks.

Unfortunately, the mistakes Saban discussed will have to sit with Alabama for quite some time. The season is over and on a bitter note. Come next week’s national championship game, they will be watching Michigan face off against whoever wins the Sugar Bowl.

Alabama will certainly use the experience to grow and motivate itself, though. A few key players will be returning for the 2024 season, including Milroe. He was playing in the national spotlight for the first time in his career.

In what has seemingly been a revenge tour in Tuscaloosa for a few seasons now, you better believe another one is loading. The Rose Bowl mistakes will be at the front of everybody’s mind through spring and into fall camp.