Nick Saban 'would be shocked' if Alabama doesn't respond well after Texas loss

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama lost to Texas on its home field Saturday, suffering its first loss to a regular-season, non-conference opponent since Nick Saban’s first season as the coach.

The Crimson Tide (1-1) committed too many penalties and turned the ball over on offense, while its defense gave up too many explosive plays and was unable to get a stop late in the game or any pressure on Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers. Alabama now heads back to the drawing board as it enters a Week 3 matchup with South Florida, its first road game of 2023.

But Saban expects his team to have the right mindset as it looks to right the wrongs.

“I would be shocked if this team does not respond in a really positive way to trying to get better, to try to do the things they need to do to get fixed,” Saban said Monday. “But we have to have better execution. We’ve gotta do simple things better, whether it’s pass protection, blocking, controlling the line of scrimmage, not giving up big plays on defense, whatever. 

“Those are the things that are gonna change. This is not just about the attitude of players. They all wanted to win more than any fan, more than anybody in this room, and they put all the work and preparation into it. And I feel badly for them that we weren’t able to do whatever we need to do as coaches to try to help them have a better chance to be successful in the game. We’re all responsible for it, and we’re all going to try to work hard to get better. 

“So I would be shocked if these guys don’t come in here today with the attitude that we’re gonna go out there and try to improve and get better. The future is now. We’ve gotta do it now. That’s the main thing.”

Alabama will return to the practice field this afternoon to begin its on-field prep for USF, and as Saban said, the Crimson Tide’s players are looking to get back on track after the defeat.

“We’re pissed off, I’m not gonna lie,” offensive lineman Tyler Booker said. “Who wants to lose at home? But there’s only ever been two undefeated teams to win national championships here at the University of Alabama, and all of our goals are still attainable. We can still win the SEC West, we can still win the SEC and get a College Football Playoff spot. 

“This was just a wake-up call for us, and we’re all taking heed to what Coach is saying. We understand that in order to be who we are, be who we need to be. In order to be at the Alabama standard, we have to execute.”

Added linebacker Dallas Turner, “Just play to the standard, honestly. We know what we have to do as a team and we know the standard we’re supposed to play to, so we just have to play to that standard in practice, walk-through, meetings, everything.

“… It’s still early in the season. It’s Week 2. So you can’t let a game from Week 2 determine how our season’s gonna be. There’s still a lot more things to look forward to.”

The Crimson Tide-Bulls matchup will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN on Saturday, Sept. 16.

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