What Nick Saban said on College GameDay before Alabama-Georgia

Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined the College GameDay set on Saturday morning before the Crimson Tide’s SEC Championship Game matchup with Georgia (3 p.m. CT on CBS). Below is a transcript of everything Saban said during his appearance on the pregame show.

Saban on how Alabama has found its own solutions this year…

“I think the way the transition of this team has developed, and I think the big key to that, is believing in them and them developing confidence because their confidence has grown throughout the course of the year. They had something to prove, so that helped them stay focused. We’ve turned out to be a pretty decent team.”

Saban on the job Kirby Smart has done at Georgia…

“He’s done a fantastic job. I mean, there’s nobody in the country that’s been able to do what he’s done, win 29 games ago. And I think the most difficult thing about that is how do you keep people motivated and not become complacent in terms of how they prepare and what they do? That really fascinates me. That was the question I asked him yesterday.”

Saban on texting…

“I answer texts short. No punctuation, short.”

Saban on what these games come down to…

“I think the big thing is is you alluded to the quarterbacks. That’s really important in games like this, and I think both their team and our team have really, really good, explosive offenses. A lot of good players on both sides of the ball that can make plays, and both quarterbacks, in their own way, are very efficient and effective. So how can you play really good defense against and get stops and create turnovers and things that are drive-stoppers in this game, I think, is going to be a real key to the game.”

Saban on the mental approach to the SEC Championship Game…

“We’re playing a great team, and you’re playing for the SEC Championship. So we didn’t talk at all about anything past this because, for us, this is sort of an ultimatum that we have to do well in this game if we’re going to have an opportunity to go in any place else. But we didn’t want to listen to that noise. We wanted to focus on what we needed to do, what we could control so that we could play and execute well in the game. The whole idea is can we channel our passion into execution on the field.”

Saban on the atmosphere of the SEC title game…

“I think the SEC Championship Game is one of the best competitive venues in college sports. I’ve always said that, I’ve always thought that and having been involved in the game a few times, it always feels that way.”

Saban on where his mental state sits at this point…

“Well, excitement. I mean, you’re excited to have the opportunity. You’re happy for your team to create the opportunity. And at the same time, you’re trying to do everything you can to make sure you’ve done everything you could to get them ready to go out there and play. So all those things are running through your mind. Is there something you left out? Is there something you need to say? Are they in the right frame of mind? So a lot of wondering.”

Saban on the last thing he says to the team today…

“I just always want to tell our players we didn’t come this far to get this far. So what do we got to do to try to take the next step? And that’s what I want them to focus on – what they have to do to play well in the game to move forward, to be the best version of themselves. But I don’t like to put anxiety on the team. I don’t want them to think about that. I want them to play one play at a time, play the next play, focus on that, put all your energy into that and see what happens at the end of the game.”

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