Nick Saban raves about the importance of momentum, winning on the road ahead of LSU-South Carolina

Nick Saban dropped some knowledge during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday pertaining to the different ways teams utilize momentum throughout a season.

The topic came up due to South Carolina’s huge win over Kentucky on the road by a final score of 31-6. Due to the win, Saban and College GameDay are in town for the weekend. Asked what winning a huge game like that on the road can do for a team like the Gamecocks, Saban put it in eloquent terms, the way only he can.

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“I always thought that when we won a game on the road — actually, I liked playing on the road, in some ways, because there were less distractions for your players,” Saban told McAfee. “That’s what you really like, as a coach, when you know your guys are really zeroed in.

“First of all, they know they’ve got not only the challenge of the other team, but the challenge of the circumstance that they’re going to play in, whether it’s noise, how people are going to respond to every play in the game, so if your team can stay focus on the right things that matter in the game, and in tough circumstances, I think it always feels like it was a greater victory, because of the adversity that you had to overcome.

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“So, I think it does a lot for the confidence of the team, but I also think that we’re seeing these teams kind of go this way this year, up and down, relief syndrome after winning a big game. I think there’s really too much emphasis on the Playoff, what’s coming up at the end, than just focusing on just being the best player you can be, day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out.”

Evidently, Saban believes that we could be seeing the power of momentum in Columbia, especially if the Gamecocks are able to overcome LSU in Week 3. Regardless of momentum though, Saban stated earlier this week that he believes in treating every game the same, no matter who the opponent is.

“We prepared for every game the same. So if there was a better way to prepare for a game, we’d do it every week, because winning every game is really important,” Saban said. “But I do think for the players, when they understand the rivalry. But players understand rivalries based on — like, LSU was not the biggest rivalry for Alabama when I first came there. But it became that because they were always really good and we got to where we were pretty good. 

“So it became a big rivalry game. … At the same time, you want your players to stay focused on what they need to do to play well. … One of the things in these games that you’ve got to control as a coach is players being too emotional. I mean players get so emotional they start making bad decisions and you start getting penalties and things like that. When you’re emotional you don’t do intelligent things, you do dumb things. And that’s something you’ve really got to control. You want to play with great intensity, but you can’t get emotional where you don’t make good choices and decisions about doing your job.”

Alas, Nick Saban and the College GameDay crew realize what an opportunity awaits Shane Beamer and South Carolina. If the Gamecocks emerge victorious, who knows where their momentum could carry them in 2024.