What Nick Saban said on College GameDay before Alabama-LSU

Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined the College GameDay set on Saturday morning before the Crimson Tide’s SEC West matchup with the LSU Tigers (6:45 p.m. CT on CBS). Below is a full transcript of everything Saban said on the pregame show on Alabama’s campus.

Saban on how he adapts his message every week…

“I think every game is a little bit different. In this game, both teams are going to want to win. It’ll be a little bit like a heavyweight fight. They’re going to hit us, we’re going to hit them. They’re going to knock us down, we’re going to knock them down. It’s who can sustain that? Who can sustain it and be the last man standing because you have the kind of mental toughness that you need to be able to sustain and stay in the moment? I think that’s one of the things that we talk about being positive, but more importantly than being positive, you’ve got to stay in the moment. You’ve got to be able to play the next play regardless of what happens so you can get some consistency in performance going against a good opponent.” 

Saban on how Jalen Milroe has responded since the South Florida game…

“He’s done a great job. I think he’s learned to sort of do what I talked about before – stay in the moment, not get affected by a negative play, be able to play the next play, execute with more consistency because he’s gained more confidence in the offense and understanding what he should do and he distributes the ball a lot better now than early on. And that all comes from just knowledge and execution, and that’s what’s made him a much more consistent player.”

Saban on the challenge in facing a quarterback like Jayden Daniels…

“It’s a special challenge when you’re playing a guy like this, especially because he’s a step-up-in-the-pocket run. He’s not a run-around-sideways guy. Now, he can scramble to throw, and the guy’s a very good thrower. But when you don’t press the pocket on the guy and squeeze him and if you get pushed by, you’re playing with 10, so that just opens up those lanes for him. So this is a very challenging guy because of his athleticism, his ability to run, and he’s got great vision in the field in terms of making choices and decisions in the passing game. And he can extend those plays, and if you don’t have great pass-rush lanes, he’s going to kill you stepping up and running down the field.”

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Saban on Jermaine Burton…

“I think he’s got experience, but he’s got juice and he plays fast. When he’s dialed in and doing the right things and doing things with some precision in the passing game, he is really hard to guard. He’s got really good hands. He can run after the catch. And he’s been a really good addition for us.”

Saban on Caleb Downs…

“Caleb Downs is mature beyond his years, and he’s a football junkie. He comes from a football family. His dad’s a coach. He’s a student of the game. He understands offense. He understands adjustments. It’s very, very seldom do you get a freshman that’s that far along in terms of their knowledge of the game, and he can apply it in the game. And he does not get frustrated when something doesn’t go right or he makes a mistake. He just keeps playing. He’s a great competitor. He’s physical. He’s tough. He’s got really good ball skills. So this guy is going to be a great player for us.”

Saban on what these kinds of games mean to him personally…

“You get to do something that you love to do. I mean, some people say I have to do it, I have to do it. Like it’s really hard to do. But the way I look at it, especially at my age, you get to do it. You continue to get to do it, to compete, to be a part of a team, to try to get a team to come together and play the way they need to play to be able to have success in the game against a really good opponent. So it’s very challenging, and I just love it.”

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