Jimbo Fisher Meme

Next Alabama defeated rival Tennessee 44–13 at Neyland Stadium and followed that with a 38–7 win over then undefeated and No. 13 ranked Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide then defeated LSU at Tiger Stadium 21–17 when A. J. McCarron threw a screen pass to T. J. Yeldon that he took 28 yards for the game-winning touchdown within the final minute of play. However, the next week, Alabama suffered their only loss of the season when Texas A&M upset the Tide 29–24 in Tuscaloosa. Alabama started the 2015 season with a win against 20th ranked Wisconsin. Alabama would start 2-0 but would lose their next game against Ole Miss 43-37. Following the loss the Crimson Tide would go in to win the next twelve games including the 2015 Cotton Bowl Playoff Semifinal 38-0 over Michigan State and winning the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship over undefeated Clemson 45-40 to claim Alabama’s 16th National Championship and Saban’s fourth national championship at the Capstone. There have been many historic games between Alabama and Penn State. The two teams met five times during the tenure of Bear Bryant, including in the 1979 Sugar Bowl, which determined the national championship for the 1978 season. The games usually have national implications—seven of the 15 meetings between the two schools have featured both teams ranked in the top ten—and eight of the meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less. The most recent game was in 2011, with Alabama winning 27–11. It was the final loss for long-time Penn State head coach Joe Paterno. Alabama leads the series 10–5.Alabama has a rivalry with the Georgia Bulldogs. Alabama has 42 wins in the series while the Bulldogs have 26 wins. Georgia won the most recent meeting 33–18 in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship while Alabama leads the series 42–26–4.

After his hiring, Saban worked to hire his first staff and complete his first recruiting class with the Crimson Tide. His staff did not include any of Shula’s former staff, and Kevin Steele was hired as defensive coordinator and Major Applewhite as offensive coordinator. On February 7, he landed his first recruiting class that was highly ranked by the major recruiting services in spite of having just over a month to complete it. Anticipation for his first season continued to build through his first spring practices, and reached its peak when an overflow crowd of 92,138 attended the A-Day spring game on April 21.As the two-time defending national champions, Alabama entered the 2013 season as the favorite to repeat and win their third consecutive national championship and their fourth in five years. After again signing a highly rated recruiting class, the Crimson Tide opened the season in the No. 1 position in the polls. Alabama then won their first eleven games and retained their unanimous No. 1 ranking throughout. The Crimson Tide opened the season with a victory over Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Atlanta. After their first bye week Alabama traveled to Kyle Field where they defeated Texas A&M in a 49–42 shootout that saw the Aggies have the best offensive day against a Crimson Tide defense in the history of the program.

Alabama entered the 2016 season ranked #1 in the polls. The reigning national champions began 2016 with a resounding 52-6 win over #9 USC in Arlington, Texas, led by true freshman quarterback, Jalen Hurts. In what was the first meeting between the Tide and the Trojans since 1985, Blake Barnett started the game, but was soon replaced by Hurts, who would then go on to be the starting QB for the season. Hurts was the first true freshman QB to start for the Crimson Tide since 1984. For the first time since 2009, Alabama would go undefeated all the way through the SEC Championship Game. Alabama crushed Florida 54–16 to win their third consecutive SEC Title. This made the Tide the first three-peat SEC Champion since the Florida Gators won four in a row from 1993–1996. It also marked the first three peat for Alabama since the late 1970s when Alabama won SEC Championships from 1977–1979. The Tide would once again go on to the Playoffs where they would defeat the Washington Huskies 24-7 in the Peach Bowl to advance to their second consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Tampa, Florida. In the first-ever national title game rematch, Alabama would fall to Clemson, 35-31. In the closing seconds of the game, Clemson QB Deshaun Watson found Hunter Renfrow for a two-yard touchdown pass to give Clemson the win and their first national championship since 1981. The loss ended Alabama’s 26 game winning streak, the second-longest in program history. It marked the first time Nick Saban had ever lost in a national championship game.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were at one time considered Alabama’s arch rival. During the suspension of the Iron Bowl between 1907 and 1948, Georgia Tech (then a member of the SEC) emerged as the most intense game on Alabama’s schedule. The teams played many significant games, especially in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A heated feud developed between Bear Bryant and Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Dodd following a controversial hit in the 1961 game, a 10–0 Alabama victory. Dodd cited this feud as the primary impetus for Georgia Tech leaving the SEC three years later. The two teams have met 52 times, making Georgia Tech Alabama’s most played among current non-conference opponents. Alabama leads the series 28–21–3; Georgia Tech won the last meeting in 1984. Alabama’s fight song, “Yea Alabama”, mentions Georgia Tech with the line “Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave.”

Although they reached their first BCS game since the 1999 season, Alabama looked improve for the 2009 season after they closed 2008 on a two-game losing streak after a 12–0 start to the year. Again, the Crimson Tide secured one of the top ranked recruiting classes for the third consecutive season in February 2009. Just as in the previous year, the 2009 class included many players who played significant roles in their championship run. These players included first round NFL draft picks James Carpenter, Dre Kirkpatrick, Trent Richardson, D. J. Fluker, and Chance Warmack in addition to Eddie Lacy and A. J. McCarron. In the annual A-Day game, the Crimson team defeated the White team by a score of 14–7 before 84,050 fans at Bryant–Denny Stadium.

Alabama entered the 2014 season ranked #3 in the polls. The Crimson Tide rolled off four straight victories before losing to Ole Miss 17-23. Their loss to Ole Miss dropped them down to #7 in the rankings. However, Alabama rebounded by winning eight straight games, including victories against #14 LSU, #1 Mississippi State, and #15 Auburn in the Iron Bowl. They then defeated #14 Missouri in the SEC Championship 42–13 and earned a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff, where they lost to the eventual national champion Ohio State 35-42.On February 22, 1893, at Lakeview Park in Birmingham, Auburn was victorious in the first ever Iron Bowl, 32–22. The series was suspended after the 1907 contest, due to violence and financial complications. In 1944, Auburn suggested to reopen the series, though the board of trustees at Alabama rejected. The series was resumed in 1948, with Alabama crushing the Tigers 55–0, which is still the largest margin of victory in the series. In the following contest, Auburn shocked Alabama with a 14–13 victory, which is credited with helping revive the series.

They rebounded the next week with a 23–10 win over Ole Miss on homecoming and at Tennessee by a margin of 41–10 before their top ten matchup at LSU. Against the Tigers, a late Stevan Ridley touchdown run set up by a 23-yard DeAngelo Peterson run on a fourth-down play gave LSU the upset victory and effectively ended the opportunity for an Alabama repeat of the national championship. The Crimson Tide then defeated Mississippi State and Georgia State prior to their season finale against Auburn. With the No. 2 Tigers still in the national championship picture, Auburn overcame a 24–0 deficit and won 28–27 in what was the largest comeback in Iron Bowl history. Alabama then closed the season with a 49–7 victory over Michigan State, Saban’s former two-time employer, in the Capital One Bowl and finished with an overall record of 10–3. In 2007, the meeting was more heated following Alabama’s hiring of head coach Nick Saban, who previously coached at LSU. With the hiring, many media outlets dubbed the 2007 meeting as the “Saban Bowl”. The Crimson Tide lost the first “Saban Bowl” in 2007, won the 2008 and 2009 meetings only to lose in Baton Rouge in 2010. Alabama began 2021 as the reigning national champions and once again, ranked number one in the nation. Bryce Young won the starting QB role in the offseason, and in the season opener, Alabama routed Miami, 44-13 in the 2021 Chick Fila Kickoff Game in Atlanta. The third game of the season saw the Tide struggle in a 31-29 win against Florida in Gainesville, after getting out to huge lead early on. Alabama’s issues caught up with them in October as the Tide fell to Texas A&M, 41-38, in College Station. This was the first win for the Aggies over the Tide since 2012. The remainder of the season was a rollercoaster. While Alabama would roll through the remainder of the regular season without a loss, the season was not without its woes. Shockingly close games against LSU and Auburn saw the Tide escape with narrow wins. In the first ever Iron Bowl to go to overtime, Alabama managed to escape against Auburn 24-22 in 4 overtimes at Jordan Hare Stadium. Bryce Young hit wide receiver John Metchie for the game winning two point play in the 4th overtime to lift the Tide to a win. However, the following week, Alabama would route Georgia in the SEC Championship Game by the same score as the previous season, 41-24. It was the Tide’s second consecutive SEC Championship and the win sent Alabama to the playoffs once again where they would defeat Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl Semifinal. Georgia would defeat Michigan in the Orange Bowl Semifinal, setting up an Alabama-Georgia rematch in the CFP National Championship Game. Georgia would defeat Alabama the second time around, 33-18, giving the Bulldogs their first national championship since 1980. It marked Georgia’s first win against the Tide since 2007 and it was Alabama’s first loss to an SEC East team since 2010. Alabama finished 2021 with a record of 13-2. Also in 2021, Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy, becoming Alabama’s the second consecutive winner of the award, the fourth overall, and the first quarterback in Alabama history to win it.After their loss to the Aggies, Alabama dropped into the No. 4 ranking for their 49–0 win over Western Carolina. In the evening after their win over the Catamounts, Alabama moved back into the No. 2 position as a result of upset losses for both Kansas State and Oregon. Alabama then closed the regular season with a 49–0 win over Auburn and captured the SEC West division title to play Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. In the championship game, Alabama escaped with a 32–28 win after the Bulldogs were stopped inside the Crimson Tide’s five-yard line as time expired and captured the SEC Championship and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame. In the BCS Championship Game, the Tide defeated the Irish 42–14 and captured their third national championship in four years and the schools 15th overall football championship.A rivalry within the SEC Western Division occurs yearly between Alabama and the LSU Tigers. Starting in 1895, the Tigers were victorious 12–6 in the first meeting. The teams did not regularly meet until the mid-1960s during Alabama’s dominance of the SEC. Between 1971 and 1981, the Crimson Tide won 11 consecutive times. In the 1969 game, LSU defeated Alabama 20–15 in Baton Rouge. Alabama did not lose again in Baton Rouge until 2000.In the Iron Bowl, Alabama kicker Adam Griffith attempted and missed a 57-yard field goal attempt as time expired in regulation. In what was since dubbed “The Kick Six”, Chris Davis returned the missed field goal 109 yards (officially, 100 yards; unlike the NFL, the NCAA only counts return yardage from goal line to goal line) for the game-winning score with no time left on the clock to clinch a 34–28 Auburn victory. As the loss also cost the Crimson Tide an opportunity to play for both the SEC and national championships, they were selected to play in the 2014 Sugar Bowl. In the game, Alabama was defeated by Oklahoma 45–31 and closed the season with an overall record of 11–2.

Between 1971 and 1981, Alabama held an 11-game winning streak over the Volunteers and, between 1986 and 1994, a nine-game unbeaten streak. However, following Alabama’s streak, Tennessee responded with a seven-game winning streak from 1995 to 2001. Alabama holds the longest winning streak at 15 from 2007 to 2021. Tennessee won the most recent meeting 52–49 in Knoxville, while Alabama leads the series 58–38–8.The Crimson Tide opened the season with a 48–7 victory over Saban’s alma mater, Kent State and then traveled to Beaver Stadium and defeated Penn State 27–11 in what would be Joe Paterno’s final meeting vs. the Crimson Tide (he was fired November 9, 2011 in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, then died January 22, 2012). After a 41–0 shutout over North Texas, Alabama opened conference play with a 38–14 victory over Arkansas. After they defeated Florida 38–10 at Gainesville, the Crimson Tide shutout Vanderbilt 34–0, and defeated both Ole Miss and Tennessee to set up a “Game of the Century” against LSU. Alabama entered the 2018 season as the reigning national champions and ranked No. 1 in the nation once again. Alabama opened the season with a dominating win over Louisville, 51–14 in the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando, Florida. Tua Tagovailoa had won the starting QB job in the off season over two-year starter, Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa turned in several stellar performances as Alabama rolled to their 2nd undefeated regular season in three years. Alabama would score 50-plus points in eight of their games. Alabama also set three records during the season. They became the first ever SEC team to score 50-plus points in three consecutive games. Also, when Alabama shut out LSU 29–0 and Mississippi State 24–0, it marked the first time in history that an SEC team had shut out two consecutive conference opponents. As well, Alabama become the first team since Yale in 1888 to outscore each of their first twelve opponents by 20 or more points. Alabama avenged their only loss of the 2017 season with a decisive 31 point win over arch rival Auburn, 52–21 in Tuscaloosa. Tagovailoa completed 25 of 32 passes and threw for 324 yards and five to
uchdowns in the Tide’s Iron Bowl win. He also had a TD himself, running one in early in the game, bringing the total to 6, an Iron Bowl record. The following week, Alabama would meet Georgia in the 2018 SEC Championship Game, a rematch of the 2017 CFP National Championship Game. In a mirror image of the previous season’s National Championship Game, Alabama’s backup QB (this time Jalen Hurts) came in and engineered a dramatic comeback. Tagovailoa had been injured in the fourth quarter, and it was Hurts who led Alabama to a 35–28 victory. This was the school’s 27th SEC Championship and it sent Alabama to the playoffs once again where they would defeat the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl Playoff Semifinal, 45–34. The Cotton Bowl was the site of the other Playoff Semifinal, where Clemson would defeat Notre Dame 30–3 to set up a fourth consecutive Alabama-Clemson meeting in the postseason. This time, Clemson would win handily, routing Alabama 44–16 in the CFP National Championship Game in Santa Clara, California. It was the worst loss of the Saban era and the worst loss for the program since 2003, when LSU defeated Alabama 27–3. In early December, Moore made a preliminary offer to Saban’s agent Jimmy Sexton to coach at Alabama for $5 million per season for seven years with a $7 million signing bonus. At that time Saban also stated he had not personally interviewed at Alabama and told his players that he was not leaving. After West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez turned down an offer to coach the Crimson Tide, speculation again focused on Saban. As the rumors persisted that he was prepared to take the Alabama job, on December 21 Saban stated “I guess I have to say it, I’m not going to be the Alabama coach” in an effort to stop the Alabama rumors. After the Dolphins season ended, it was speculated again that Alabama was to offer their head coaching position to Saban. On January 3, 2007, Saban officially resigned from the Dolphins and became the head coach of the Crimson Tide. At that time he signed an eight-year contract worth a guaranteed $32 million to coach Alabama.Looking to improve on their 7–6 record from the previous season, Alabama signed the top recruiting class as determined by a wide variety of selectors. The class featured many players who were later drafted into the NFL and formed the foundation for their championship run from 2009 through 2012. Players from the class included future first round draft picks Marcell Dareus, Julio Jones, Mark Barron, Dont’a Hightower, and Mark Ingram II. The Crimson Tide then completed spring practice with another large A-Day crowd before the season started later in the fall.

On January 3, 2007, Nick Saban officially accepted the head coaching position with the Crimson Tide. In 2008, Saban led them to their first undefeated regular season since 92-93, but they lost the SEC Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl. In 2009, Saban led Alabama to a perfect 14–0 and its first BCS National Championship, as well as its first overall national championship since 1992. After a relatively disappointing 10–3 2010 season, Saban led the Tide to back-to-back BCS National Championships in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The 2013 team won its first eleven games but failed to capture a third consecutive national championship, losing the last two. Saban’s 2014 team won the SEC West and SEC championships, then lost to Ohio State in the inaugural College Football Playoff’s semi-final round at the Sugar Bowl, finishing 12-2. Saban won his fourth national championship at Alabama in 2015 and his fifth at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. In 2018, the team experienced many highs and lows, losing the National Championship Game to No.2 Clemson. Saban won his sixth national championship at Alabama and seventh of his career in 2020 by defeating Ohio State 52-24. The win gave Saban the most national titles of all time, breaking Paul Bear Bryant’s previous record of six, at the same school.

In the SEC Championship Game, Alabama faced East division champion Florida for the second season in a row in a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup. With both the conference championship and a berth in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game on the line, the Crimson Tide defeated the Gators 32–13 and won the SEC for the first time since 1999. At the conclusion of the regular season, Mark Ingram II won the first Heisman Trophy in Alabama history with the closest margin of victory in the history of the award over Toby Gerhart. The Crimson Tide then closed the season with a 37–21 victory over Texas to finish a perfect 14-0 and recorded their first national championship since the 1992 season and their 13th overall in the history of the program.

Alabama has a rivalry with the Florida Gators, which was largely developed with the start of the SEC Championship Game. Alabama and Florida have met in 10 SEC Title Games (Alabama leads 6–4 in Title games), including the first 3 from 1992 to 1994. Alabama won the most recent meeting 31–29 in Gainesville, and leads the entire series 28–14 on the field (27–14 with the Alabama 2005 win vacated).In Saban’s debut as head coach, the Crimson Tide defeated Western Carolina for his first win at Alabama. They followed that victory with his first road win at Vanderbilt and his first win over a ranked opponent against No. 16 Arkansas for a 3–0 record to open the season. They entered the polls at the No. 16 position, but then lost in overtime at home against Georgia and in the River City Showdown at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to Florida State. Alabama rebounded with three consecutive wins over Houston on homecoming, at Ole Miss and at home over Tennessee.

After a disappointing 2010 season in which they opened the year as a national title favorite and ended with three losses, the Crimson Tide looked to regain their championship form for the 2011 campaign. After again signing one of the top recruiting classes in the country, and going through spring practice, tragedy struck Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011, when an EF4 rated tornado devastated the city. The tornado resulted in the deaths of 43 people in the city, including the girlfriend of Crimson Tide long snapper Carson Tinker, and the team later would dedicate their season to both the victims and survivors of the storm.Alabama’s most-played rival is Mississippi State. The rivalry has been called the “Battle for Highway 82”, with the schools being only 90 miles apart. Many cite the 2014 meeting as the biggest game in the series where Alabama faced a #1 ranked, 10–0 Mississippi State team with Dak Prescott as its quarterback. Alabama won 25–20, which helped catapult them into the first College Football Playoff. Alabama won the most recent meeting 30–6 in Tuscaloosa and leads the series 85–18–3.

After the Tigers won the SEC Championship Game, a rematch against the Crimson Tide became the likely pairing for the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Alabama qualified for the BCS National Championship Game after they received a final BCS score of .942, just slightly ahead of Oklahoma State’s BCS score of .933. In their rematch against LSU at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, the Crimson Tide shutout the SEC champion Tigers 21–0 and captured Alabama’s second BCS championship and 14th overall national championship.For the second year in a row, Alabama opened the season at Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Against Virginia Tech, the Crimson Tide trailed at halftime, but an 18-point rally in the fourth quarter gave Alabama the 34–24 win. After consecutive wins over non-conference Florida International and North Texas, the Crimson Tide defeated Arkansas 35–7 to open conference play at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Alabama next went on a two-game road trip, defeated both Kentucky and Ole Miss and extended their record to 6–0.

The Crimson Tide then returned home where they played South Carolina on homecoming. Against the Gamecocks, Mark Ingram II had a career-high with 246 rushing yards and entered the Heisman Trophy conversation as he led Alabama to a 20–6 victory. In their next game, a pair of Terrence Cody blocked field goals, one of which came as time expired, preserved a 12–10 win over rival Tennessee. With a berth in the SEC Championship Game on the line, the Crimson Tide clinched the West division championship with a 24–15 victory LSU in their next game. Alabama then closed the season with wins over Mississippi State, Chattanooga and Auburn and completed their second consecutive, undefeated regular season.Alabama Crimson Tide football under Nick Saban covers the history of the Alabama Crimson Tide football program since Nick Saban was hired as head coach in 2007. Alabama plays as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and is a member of the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Tide plays its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Their overall official record under Saban is 189-27 (.875) (194–27 on the field), 22 bowl game appearances with 16 victories, nine SEC West titles, eight SEC championships, and six national championships. Since 2008, Saban’s teams have spent part or all of each season ranked No. 1 in national polls.Against the Tigers, neither team scored a touchdown and LSU won by a final score of 9–6 in overtime. With the loss, Alabama dropped into the No. 3 BCS position prior to their game against Mississippi State. However, they regained the No. 2 ranking in all the polls after Oklahoma State was upset by Iowa State, and they defeated the Bulldogs at Starkville. Alabama then closed the regular season with wins over both Georgia Southern and Auburn and finished in second place in the West division behind LSU.Alabama entered the 2017 season ranked No. 1 in the polls once again. The season began with the Tide defeating No. 3 Florida State 24–7 in the Chick Fila Kick off Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Alabama would then go on to win their next ten games, heading into the Iron Bowl undefeated and still ranked number 1. However, the regular season was not without its issues. The Tide lost several key defensive players to injury throughout the season. There were some impressive blow outs, but also some very close games against Texas A&M, LSU, and Mississippi State. With the SEC West on the line, the Tide would fall to Auburn, 26–14 in a game that saw the worst performance by an Alabama team since the Mike Shula era. However, the season was not over for the Tide by a long shot. Auburn would go on to the SEC Championship Game, where they would face Georgia in a rematch from earlier in the season. The Bulldogs would prevail the second time around, crushing the Tigers 28–7 and leading to discussion of whether a similar situation to 2011 would take place. When the rankings were released, the playoff selection committee tapped both Alabama and Georgia for the playoffs. Alabama was selected to face Clemson in the Sugar Bowl Playoff Semifinal. In a rematch of the previous season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the Tide would prevail, blowing out Clemson 24–6. Georgia’s 54–48 overtime win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl Playoff semifinal set up an all-SEC National Championship Game where the Tide would win its 17th national championship by defeating Georgia 26–23 in overtime. With Alabama trailing 13–0 at halftime, a change was made at quarterback with freshman Tua Tagovailoa replacing a struggling Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa went 14 of 24 passing for 166 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver, DeVonta Smith in overtime. The 2017 national title was the sixth for head coach Nick Saban, and his fifth at the Capstone. This accomplishment tied coach Saban with iconic Alabama head coach, Paul W. Bryant, who also won six national titles in his storied career.The defense responded after the A&M game and did not allow a touchdown over the next 14-quarters in victories over Colorado State, Ole Miss, Georgia State and Kentucky. After the touchdown-free streak ended, started a three-game homestand that saw Alabama shutout Arkansas and defeat both Tennessee and LSU in back-to-back rivalry games. They next defeated Mississippi State and Chattanooga that set up a top five matchup against Auburn. For many years, the contest was held at Legion Field in Birmingham, before the teams began alternating between Bryant-Denny Stadium, in Tuscaloosa, and Jordan–Hare Stadium, in Auburn. Alabama won the most recent meeting 49-27 in Tuscaloosa, and leads the series at 49–37–1. Before Saban, Alabama had no Heisman Trophy winners, and many players whose competed at Alabama during Saban’s tenure have also been recognized for their on-field accomplishments. Mark Ingram II (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020) and Bryce Young (2021) are Alabama’s four Heisman Trophy winners, with Young taking 83% of voters. 71 players have been recognized as First Team All-Americans, 45 by consensus or unanimously. Additionally, 123 former Crimson Tide players have been drafted into the National Football League, 44 as first-round selections, under Coach Saban. The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football, under AD Greg Byrne, extended HC Nick Saban’s contract until the 2028 season.Alabama began 2022 ranked number one in the nation. The season began with a 55-0 win over Utah State. It was Bama’s first shutout win in a season opener since 1988 when the Tide defeated Temple 37-0. The following week was a road game against Texas in Austin. In what was the Tide and the Longhorns’ first meeting since the BCS National Championship Game played after the 2009 season as well as Bama’s first trip to Austin, TX in 100 years, Bama squeaked by with a 20-19 win. The Tide would go on to win convincingly in games against UL-Monroe, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. QB Bryce Young was seriously injured against Arkansas, and thus could not play in the following game against Texas A&M. Backup QB Jalen Milroe got the start. The Tide barely escaped with a 24-20 win against the Aggies in Tuscaloosa, narrowly avoiding a second consecutive shocking upset loss to them. The next week was the annual Third Saturday in October vs Tennessee. After falling behind early, Bama came back and took the lead, only to watch Tennessee come back late and tie the game. Bama had one final chance to get the win, but Will Reichard missed what
would have been the game winning field goal. This enabled Tennessee time to put together one final drive to get into Tennessee place kicker Chase McGrath’s range. McGrath hit a 40 yard field goal as time expired, giving Tennessee a 52-49 win over Alabama, the Vols’ first since 2006 over the Tide, thus ending a 15 year Alabama win streak. The Tide would suffer it’s only other loss of the 2022 season in overtime, 32-31 against LSU in Baton Rouge. It was Alabama’s first loss in Tiger Stadium since 2010. This solidified the SEC West title for LSU, and effectively knocked Bama out of the playoffs. After lackluster performances against Ole Miss and Austin Peay, the Tide would defeat their cross state rival, Auburn by a final of 49-27 in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers were being led by interim head coach, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams after the midseason dismissal of previous head coach Bryan Harsin. Bama was selected to go to the Sugar Bowl where they would meet Kansas State for the first time ever. The Tide concluded the 2022 season with a 45-20 win against the Wildcats. Alabama would finish 2022 11-2, having missed the playoffs for just the second time since the playoff format began. As the defending national champions, Alabama entered the 2010 season as the favorite to repeat and win their second national championship in as many years. After again signing a highly rated recruiting class, the Crimson Tide opened the season in the No. 1 position in the polls. Alabama then won their first five games over San Jose State, Penn State, Duke, Arkansas, and Florida and retained their unanimous No. 1 ranking. However, in their sixth game, the Crimson Tide lost their first regular season game since the 2007 season when they were upset at South Carolina 35–21. During Saban’s tenure as head coach of the Crimson Tide, Alabama has played all home games on-campus at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Prior to the 2006 season, the north endzone expansion brought the total seating capacity of Bryant–Denny to 92,138, the seventh largest stadium in college football. After Saban became head coach, in February 2009, the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees unanimously approved a proposal to expand the south endzone with an upper deck that seated approximately 9,000 spectators and added 36 luxury boxes. The expansion was budgeted at $80.6 million and Davis Architects of Birmingham, Alabama served as the architect of record for the project. The expansion was completed just prior to the start of the 2010 season on August 20 and increased Bryant–Denny’s capacity to 101,821, the fifth largest in college football.The series dates back to 1900 but the rivalry has intensified in recent years, with the last four meetings having national championship implications. Alabama leads the series 14–5.

Prior to their game against the Vols, Antoine Caldwell, Marlon Davis, Glen Coffee, Marquis Johnson and Chris Rogers were suspended as a result of violating NCAA rules. The violation was a result of a failure in the distribution system of textbooks that was deemed to be an improper benefits as defined by the NCAA. After the NCAA reviewed the case, in June 2009 they determined all players who received the improper benefits to be retroactively ineligible. As part of their penalty, the NCAA forced Alabama to vacate football victories that dated back to the 2005 season through the first five games of the 2007 season.The Crimson Tide opened the season ranked No. 24, and they defeated No. 9 Clemson in the inaugural Chick-fil-A College Kickoff to open the season. They followed the victory with home wins over Tulane and Western Kentucky and won on the road over Arkansas before a much-hyped game at Georgia. Ranked No. 8 and playing against the No. 3 Bulldogs in what was deemed a “blackout” game by Georgia head coach Mark Richt, the Crimson Tide took a 31–0 halftime lead en route to a 41–30 upset victory. After their win, the Crimson Tide moved into the No. 2 ranking and then defeated Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Arkansas State on homecoming to extend their record to 9–0.

Outside the stadium on its northern side is the Walk of Champions. This areas pays tribute to past championship teams at Alabama in addition to featuring bronze statues of all five head coaches who won national championships with the Crimson Tide. After he led them to the 2009 national championship, athletics director Mal Moore indicated that a statue of Saban would be erected in the Walk of Champions just as the previous four coaches. The nine-foot statue was designed by Alabama student Jeremy Davis and fabricated by MTM Recognition of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was officially unveiled prior to the 2011 A-Day spring game on April 16, 2011, and has since been updated to include subsequent championships.After No. 1 Texas lost to Texas Tech, the Crimson Tide achieved their first regular season No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll since the 1980 season and their first ever No. 1 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) ranking prior to their game at LSU. In what was Saban’s first game at Tiger Stadium since he resigned as LSU’s coach after their 2004 season, the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 27–21 in overtime. The victory over LSU also allowed the Crimson Tide to clinch the SEC West Division championship, and earned a spot in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama then closed with wins over Mississippi State and Auburn, that ended their six-game losing streak in the Iron Bowl, and finished the regular season undefeated 12–0. Although favored, a two touchdown rally led by Florida’s Tim Tebow in the fourth quarter resulted in the Crimson Tide failing to capture the SEC championship and instead of playing for a national championship, they accepted an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl. Against an undefeated Utah team, Alabama was upset 31–17 and finished the season with an overall record of 12–2. After four seasons as head coach in which he compiled an overall record of 26–23 (.531) on November 26, 2006, Mike Shula was fired as head coach of the Crimson Tide. At the time of his firing, athletic director Mal Moore promoted defensive coordinator Joe Kines into the role of interim head coach for the Independence Bowl and that the search for a permanent replacement would begin immediately. At that time several current coaches were rumored to be in consideration for the position at Alabama, with Steve Spurrier of South Carolina and Saban of the Miami Dolphins thought to be the preferred candidates. On November 27, Saban publicly stated he had not been contacted by Alabama and that he had no interest in leaving the Dolphins to become the head coach of the Crimson Tide. Fisher was quick to jump to name-calling in his opening statement. The moment he labeled Saban, it was clear this presser was going to be scorched earth.

Here are the most damning things Fisher said about Saban in the news conference in which the gloves flew off, words were not minced and attack after attack rocketed out of Fisher’s mouth.”Some people think they’re God,” Fisher said. “Go dig into how God did his deal, you may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don’t want to know. We built him up to be the Czar of football? Go dig into his past or anybody that’s ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out, what he does and how he does it. And it’s despicable. It really is.”

“You can call me anything you want to call me,” Fisher said. “You ain’t calling me a cheat. I don’t cheat and I don’t lie. Because I learned that when I was a kid, if you did, the old man slapped me up side the head. Maybe someone should have slapped (Saban).”

“Listen, you coach with people like Bobby Bowden (at Florida State) and learn how to do things,” Fisher said. “You coach with other people and learn how not to do things. There’s a reason I ain’t been back to work for him, with opportunities. Don’t want to be associated with it.”The Crimson Tide had six consecutive drives end with a punt from the second to the third quarter. They committed 15 penalties for 100 yards and may have lost if not for two mistakes, including a controversial call by the officials.

Early in the third quarter, Texas appeared to sack Bryce Young in the end zone for a safety. An official threw a flag for roughing the passer with targeting, but when referee Scott Campbell attempted to explain things after a review, it got complicated.It’s understandable why Saban probably wasn’t feeling good about things, even though the Crimson Tide left Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with a win.We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. We support responsible gambling. If you feel like you’re losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI).

Just a reminder, Fisher’s contract states that he has to make $9.5 million annually with an enormous, $85 million buyout (if, theoretically, fired this season) with 9 more years guaranteed. Texas A&M fans and the rest of the college football world reacted to his team’s poor performance on Saturday with that information in mind. Multiple sources have told The Athletic that during recruiting pitches, almost every recruit has said at some point during the visit something to the effect of: “That’s great, but what kind of NIL deal can I get?” Saban, who has long been the sport’s best recruiter, has always had an answer and a plan for everything. This time he doesn’t. Saban is looking for guidance from the NCAA, an organization that isn’t in a place to hold everyone accountable to the same rules. Collectives have changed the game. Alabama is playing it one way, and Saban feels others are playing it another. That isn’t likely to change in the immediate future. Saban won’t back down from this, but this controversy at a time when there’s little happening on the college football calendar will rage into SEC spring meetings in a couple of weeks, SEC media days in July and preseason camp in August — and onward until the Crimson Tide host Texas A&M on Oct. 8. The second is that it was a misstep, that he got caught up in the moment at an event to help promote the World Games, being held in Birmingham this summer. That he talked himself into going further and further and further like we often see in his news conferences when he wants to deliver a message. And by the time it was over, his comments had circled the globe.The first way to think about it is that he it was highly calculated and meant to do exactly what it did, as his comments blazed around social media like a fire through a dry field. That he was more than willing to take the short-term heat — which he is certainly under at the moment — in order to raise a larger conversation about the current uneven landscape of NIL practices and how it pertains to recruiting. Earlier this year, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher verbally sparred with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin regarding his indirect comments about how the Aggies secured the top-ranked class in 2022. On Thursday morning, Fisher held a news conference in which he aggressively responded to Saban’s comments. Everyone seemingly has an opinion on this, and it’s not trending in Saban’s direction. It’s an avalanche the other way. What no one is talking about, though, is that the whole of Saban’s comments were accurate: NIL was never meant to be a vehicle to pay for recruits. It was put into play for active players to capitalize on their marketability. But where Saban stepped afoul was framing it as players being “bought.” He shouldn’t have phrased it that way, and he could have delivered the same message by being vague and not naming any program specifically.

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.There are two ways to think about Alabama coach Nick Saban’s scathing remarks about multiple college football programs and their alleged payments through NIL deals to secure recruits in the Class of 2022, including Texas A&M.Multiple sources told The Athletic that more than one in-state recruit is seeking an NIL deal to commit. Alabama has said from the inception of its collective, High Tide Traditions, that the collective will not serve as a medium for recruiting inducements. Recently, the NCAA said it intends to crack down on boosters using NIL to influence recruits.To willingly open himself up to this controversy, Saban clearly showed he’s frustrated with how NIL is being used differently around the country. There’s good reason why he’s frustrated. The calendar is almost into June, and his 2023 recruiting class has only three verbal commitments. Vanderbilt has four. No one feels badly for Alabama, which has stacked top-ranked recruiting classes on top of each other for so long that it’s dizzying. Even last year, when Saban said the Aggies “bought every player on their team” through NIL, Alabama finished second in the 247Sports Composite. But it’s the future that clearly has Saban a bit uncomfortable. If he isn’t permitted to recruit the same way he alleges others are, that puts him and his program at a distinct disadvantage. And he doesn’t mind putting himself out there to call it out. He’s not social media, so he’s not seeing the fallout the way anyone who has opened Twitter on Thursday morning can see. Of course, it’s not only a matter of quantity. If it wanted to, Alabama could have more commits in its class, but not from its top targets. Those targets are taking their time and Alabama is not rushing the process. But the vagueness of NIL is clearly slowing the process.“It’s a shame that we have to do this. It’s really despicable,” Fisher said. “It’s despicable that somebody can say things about somebody and, more importantly, 17-year-old kids. You’re taking shots at 17-year-old kids and their families. That they broke state laws, that we bought every player on this group. We never bought anybody. No rules were broken. Nothing was done wrong.”Saban has already drawn the ire of Deion Sanders, the head coach of Jackson State, a program Saban mentioned in his remarks. Sanders posted on Twitter that he would directly address Saban’s “lies” as it pertained to the alleged $1 million recruitment of the nation’s top player, Travis Hunter, who flipped to Jackson State from Florida State on signing day.

Mike Vrabel seems to consistently coax results from lackluster rosters, and the Titans have posted winning records in four of his five seasons at the helm. He earned the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2021 after leading Tennessee to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Vrabel grabbed even more power within the organization when the Titans fired general manager Jon Robinson last year.The oldest head coach in the NFL, Pete Carroll couldn’t have played things any better in 2022. Instead of bottoming out after trading Wilson to the Broncos, the Seahawks used their newfound draft capital to revamp their roster while turning to Geno Smith under center.

McDaniels was fired in 2010 after two subpar seasons as the Broncos’ head coach. After a second stint as the Patriots’ play-caller, McDaniels caused more controversy by initially accepting, then rejecting, the Colts’ head coaching position in 2018. The Raiders posted a 6-11 record and finished third in the AFC West in McDaniels’ first season in Las Vegas.Since taking over as the Steelers’ head coach in 2007, Mike Tomlin has taken Pittsburgh to the postseason 10 times, won seven AFC North titles, and secured one Super Bowl trophy. He’s famously never posted a record below .500, repeatedly keeping the Steelers in contention until the end of each season. Tomlin may also be the best locker-room communicator in the NFL.

Smith played like a back-end MVP candidate for most of the season, and Seattle made the playoffs for the 10th time in Carroll’s 12 seasons as head coach. Carroll is signed through the 2025 campaign and hasn’t given any indication that he’s nearing retirement.While the NFL Players Association and salary cap websites like Over the Cap and Spotrac keep track of player earnings, tracing NFL head coach salaries can often be challenging. Still, reporting from outlets like Sportico and others have gauged what the league’s top head coaches are making.

Bill Belichick doesn’t need to do anything else to cement his NFL legacy, and it makes sense that he’s the highest-paid coach in the league. Belichick has more Super Bowl wins (six) than any other head coach and ranks third on the all-time regular-season wins list. No coach has as many playoff wins as Belichick’s 31.

Perhaps the best offensive mind in the NFL, Kyle Shananan won just 10 games over his first two seasons as the 49ers’ head coach. But he took San Francisco to the Super Bowl in 2019, narrowly losing to the Chiefs, and has appeared in each of the last two NFC title games.

Andy Reid is arguably the best head coach in the NFL, so the Chiefs are getting a bargain by paying him just $12 million annually. Reid had plenty of success during his run with the Eagles, but he’s cemented his legacy by developing Patrick Mahomes and winning two Super Bowls in Kansas City. The only head coach to win 100 games with two franchises, Reid will be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when he calls it quits.In February, NBC Sports’ Peter King reported that Payton’s new five-year deal is “in the neighborhood” of $18 million per year. For that payday, the Broncos expect Payton to revitalize Russell Wilson’s career and turn Denver back into a perennial contender.

There is no salary cap for NFL head coaches or their staff. While head coaching salaries are unlikely to keep pace with elite player salaries, coaching pay continues to increase. Let’s run through the top 10 highest-paid head coaches in the NFL, starting with arguably the greatest HC of all time.After becoming a head coach at age 30, Sean McVay became the youngest NFL head coach (37) to win a Super Bowl when the Rams defeated the Bengals in 2022. Amazon reportedly offered McVay $100 million over five years to serve as a broadcaster, but he chose to stay in Los Angeles — and received a subsequent pay bump. McVay has made continuous noise about retirement, but he’ll be back on the sidelines next season.

The Broncos needed to make a drastic change after their failed Nathaniel Hackett experiment, and shifting to a future Hall of Fame head coach in Sean Payton certainly qualifies as drastic. Denver sent a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to the Saints in exchange for Payton’s rights and a 2024 third-round selection.We’ve detected that JavaScript is disabled in this browser. Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using twitter.com. You can see a list of supported browsers in our Help Center.

Everything began to come together for Fisher and the Seminoles in 2012. The Seminoles won their first conference title in seven years and appeared in a major bowl for the first time in seven years, defeating Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl. A year later, the Seminoles, led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, rolled through the season undefeated and defeated Auburn in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game to win the school’s third national championship.In his first season at A&M (2018), Fisher coached the Aggies to a 9–4 record and a second-place finish in the SEC West, which was the program’s best conference finish since joining the conference in 2012. The season included a 74–72 seven-overtime win over LSU, which was the program’s first victory over the Tigers in 20 years. The Aggies also defeated the NC State Wolfpack 52–13 in the 2018 Gator Bowl.

In eight years at Florida State, Fisher accumulated an 83–23 record, a 2013 BCS national championship, three ACC conference championships, four Atlantic Division titles (three outright, one shared), four AP Poll top 10 finishes, and four bowl game victories. His .783 winning percentage is the highest in FSU history.Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Fisher attended North View Junior High School and Liberty High School. Fisher initially attended Clemson University to play baseball before going to Salem College (now Salem University) in Salem, West Virginia where he played quarterback under head coach Terry Bowden from 1985 to 1986. When Bowden left for Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, Fisher transferred with him to play his final season for the Bulldogs where he was named Division III National Player of the Year. Fisher still holds multiple school records at Samford.

The Aggies would enter the 2022 with high expectations, ranked #6 in the country. They lost six of their first nine games, including a shocking upset loss to unranked Appalachian State in week 2.Fisher’s son Ethan was diagnosed in 2011 with Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disease. The diagnosis prompted Ethan’s parents, Jimbo and Candi, to begin a national foundation, Kidz1stFund. The non-profit funds critical research of Fanconi anemia. The University of Minnesota’s Masonic Children’s Hospital rechristened its FA program the Kidz1stFund Fanconi Anemia Comprehensive Care Center.

Fisher played a season in the Arena Football League in 1988 for the Chicago Bruisers, then rejoined Terry Bowden at Samford as a graduate assistant coach working with quarterbacks from 1988–1990. He was subsequently hired as the full-time offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After two seasons, Fisher moved with Bowden to Auburn University where he coached quarterbacks. At Auburn, Fisher coached several successful quarterbacks including Patrick Nix. He continued at Auburn until Tommy Tuberville took over as head coach following Terry Bowden’s 1998 mid-season resignation.Jimbo met his second wife, Courtney Harrison Fisher, during his coaching days at FSU. They married in the summer of 2020 and reside in College Station. Fisher has two sons from a previous marriage, Trey and Ethan, and a stepson Keller. Fisher’s brother, Bryan, was the offensive coordinator at Fairmont State University and is now a teacher and runs the family farm and his mother, Gloria, teaches chemistry at Robert C. Byrd High School in Clarksburg, WV.

John James “Jimbo” Fisher Jr. (born October 9, 1965) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies. Previously, Fisher was the head coach at Florida State, where his team won the 2014 BCS National Championship Game.In his first season, Fisher led the Seminoles to their first 10-win season since 2003, and only their second of the new millennium. They also swept in-state rivals Miami and Florida for the first time since 1999, and defeated South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. He followed that up with a 9-4 season in 2011, which included another sweep of Miami and Florida and a win over Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Fisher became known as “Jimbo” as a child because his family already had several members who went by “Jim.” Some media outlets following a Wikipedia hoax created by Fisher’s son Trey, have said that Fisher was known as “Slim Jimbo” because of an “affinity for meat snacks” (an example is Slim Jim brand beef jerky), and that Fisher planned to start an organic jerky company after leaving the coaching profession. Fisher denied these reports in an interview, noting that while he enjoyed beef jerky, he had no intention of starting a company and it had nothing to do with his nickname.Fisher coached quarterbacks and was the offensive coordinator for one season at Cincinnati before joining Nick Saban’s staff at LSU in 2000. When Saban left for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins Fisher remained at LSU to continue his role with Les Miles. At LSU he helped to develop a number of quarterbacks, including Josh Booty, Rohan Davey, Matt Mauck, and JaMarcus Russell.

On December 1, 2017, Fisher resigned as the head coach at Florida State University to accept the same job at Texas A&M University. Fisher signed a 10-year, $75 million contract with the Aggies. During an August 2018 ESPN interview, when asked why he chose to take the A&M job, Fisher listed several reasons, including his connection with A&M athletic director Scott Woodward as well as the A&M culture, academics, and facilities.Fisher’s 2019 Aggies team entered the season ranked No. 12, but suffered losses to then-ranked top-10 teams including Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and LSU. The Aggies received an invitation to the 2019 Texas Bowl, where they defeated Oklahoma State 24–21.

On December 1, 2009 Bowden announced that he would retire from coaching after the Seminoles’ Gator Bowl game on New Year’s Day 2010 against West Virginia. Fisher began selecting his staff and recruiting players while preparing the team for its bowl game for the last time as a Bowden assistant. The Seminoles sent Bowden out with a victory on January 1. Fisher held his first staff meeting the following afternoon. On January 5, he became the ninth head football coach in Florida State history. A 2019 article in Bleacher Report detailed a number of problems with the culture of the FSU program under Fisher. According to former assistants, the players seemed to lose their drive after the 2013 national championship season. Additionally, Bleacher Report revealed that Florida State had the worst Academic Progress Rate score of any Power Five program, and was actually on the verge of an automatic postseason ban. Reportedly, Fisher had given his assistants a mandate to “keep players eligible” above all else; athletic director Dave Coburn conceded as much. Fisher’s successor, Willie Taggart, was stunned at the apparent laissez-faire attitude toward academics when he arrived, and instituted immediate changes. Several former assistants from Fisher’s tenure believed the casual attitude toward academics were part of a larger erosion of discipline that gradually led to a sense of entitlement. The beginning of the end for Fisher’s tenure came in the 2017 season opener. In the second half of a season-opening 24-7 loss to Alabama, quarterback Deondre Francois tore the patellar tendon in his left knee. Francois’ backup, James Blackman, was raw and untested, exposing FSU’s several years of recruiting misses at quarterback since Winston’s signing. A close loss to NC State a week later knocked them out of the polls for the first time since the middle of the 2011 season. They went on to finish with their first on-field losing record in ACC play since joining the league. They were only able to continue the longest active bowl streak in FBS by defeating Louisiana-Monroe in a game that had been rescheduled from September due to Hurricane Irma.Fisher interviewed for the head coaching position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham after the 2006 season but the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees vetoed the contract offer, sparking controversy since the same board oversees the flagship campus in Tuscaloosa. He turned down an invitation from Nick Saban to join the coaching staff at the University of Alabama to become offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida State University, where he replaced Jeff Bowden, son of then-Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden.

Jimbo Fisher’s official introduction as head coach took place at a Florida State University press conference on January 7, 2010. “Empowered, confident athletes are winners,” he said. “My goal is to get the structure, the staff and the support resources in place to facilitate a winning plan and get players into the structure and start affecting change. Now.” Fisher then announced his 2010 coaching staff.“I think you can’t have consistency unless you have discipline and execution, and I mentioned that earlier. So it’s not just penalties. It’s just did I block the right guy? Did I do it the right way? Did I cover the right guy? Did I cover the right way? Did I rush the passer the right way? Did we run the stunts, stop the run, stay in my gap? All those things are little things that you have to pay attention to detail on so that you play together as a unit. And we’ll watch the film but obviously, when you give up (52) points, there’s things we need to do much, much better on defense, and we need to be able to take advantage of the situation we had on offense at the end of the game – although the offense did a really good job of moving the ball, keeping the ball and scoring points.”

“We were trying to move closer. We thought that they were blitzing and had a loaded box a lot and thought we could make plays with the passing game. Jahmyr had a chance to make a play. That’s the best things we did all night, so that’s how we thought we could get closer. When I say that, I don’t mean we should have ran it instead of pass it. I didn’t mean that at all. They were blitzing and we were in empty, so we’ve gotta throw the ball hot, and we didn’t do it exactly right.”KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Third-ranked Alabama lost to No. 6 Tennessee, 52-49, Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Shortly after the loss to the Volunteers, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban spoke to reporters. Below is everything Saban said after Alabama dropped to 6-1 on the year.

“I can’t really comment on it. It’s hard to see when it’s down in the corner. I thought the guy made a good swat on the ball and we intercepted a tipped ball. And we had another one on 3rd and 6, the guy had coverage on the guy. I think pass interference is one of the most controversial calls in college football right now, and I’ve talked about it before but just inconsistency in how it gets called. Not just on those calls but on all calls. Officials do the best they can. I’m not making any negative comments about what they called.” “I’ll kind of tell you what I told the team. Very disappointing loss. We didn’t answer the bell today. Obviously, there’s a lot of work to be done. Way too many penalties, did too many things to help them, gave up explosive plays, had a major error on special teams that was totally unnecessary that led to a score on their part. You’ve gotta give them a lot of credit. They did a nice job with their offense based on what we were trying to do on defense. Did you know that BOL has a podcast? The BamaOnLine Podcast brings you the latest Alabama news and insight from Travis Reier, Charlie Potter, Hank South and Tim Watts. Catch the latest episode right here or subscribe on iTunes today!

“But I also told the players that we can accomplish every goal that we’ve had starting at the beginning of the season. There’s no room for error in the West. If we win out in the West, we can win the West and still have a chance go to the SEC Championship Game. But I think the key to the drill is you’ve gotta learn from these experiences. You’ve gotta learn from mistakes that you made. You never improve if you can’t learn from the mistakes that you made. And obviously, we have a lot of work to do. I hope everybody is all in on trying to do that work so we can improve and play better.“I thought Bryce played really well in the game, made a lot of plays offensively. Just didn’t get going on defense when we had the chance. On the last drive when they tied the game, got a third-down penalty, got a fourth-down penalty that led to their score to tie the game. And had an opportunity, needed to get a little closer for the field goal kick, and we didn’t get that done.”

“I had total trust and confidence that he had practiced enough that he wasn’t gonna forget how to play quarterback. And he didn’t. So even though he wasn’t able to practice, especially throwing the ball as much in the passing game, getting him healthy so he could go out there and throw it effectively was probably the most important thing. I think the way our medical staff managed that gave him the best opportunity to do it, and obviously came through and played really well today.”“But we didn’t execute well enough. You’ve gotta give our players a lot of credit for fighting back, getting back in the game after getting behind 21-7 and having an opportunity to win at the end. I wish we could do some things a little different in the end, play a little better. Played way too soft at the end to let them go down the field 50 yards and get in field goal range. I think that the big thing that our players need to do is learn from this experience, have more respect for playing with discipline so we don’t get penalties, we don’t help the other team, we don’t make mental errors that help the other team.

Shortly after Fisher’s press conference, Setas shared a meme on her social media page that hints at her own thoughts about what the Aggies’ head coach had to say.Following Saban’s comments at an event in Birmingham where he stated that Texas A&M has bought its latest recruiting class with NIL money, many have voiced their opinions in favor and against what Saban had to say.

*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*Since then the internet has seen many high-profile members of the college football world weigh in with their own thoughts, and even Saban’s daughter Kristen Saban Setas may have even taken a jab at Fisher herself.

Fisher himself ripped Saban during a press conference scheduled the morning after his statements, saying that he and his former employer were done with each other.Will Rogers , actor, comedian and social commentator once opined on his famous book title,” I never met a man I didn’t like. “Today Miss State QB Will Rogers may well have added, “Until I met Jimbo Fisher. “

Things are not going well in College Station for the football program or its highly compensated head football coach. After losing an unthinkable one at home to Appalachian State three weeks ago, the Aggies suffered their second loss of the season, falling on the road to Mississippi State to the tune of 42-24.For more College Football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.