PASADENA, Calif. – There was no official word on whether Nick Saban would return as Alabama’s football coach after the team lost 27-20 in overtime to the University of Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Monday.
But Terry Saban, the 72-year-old coach’s wife, revealed her husband’s immediate plans. Instead of watching Texas play Washington in Game 2 of the College Football Playoff semifinals later that night, he’ll watch a movie on Netflix.
Terry Saban greeted her husband after the postgame press conference with a hug and a pat on the back. They spoke so quietly that I couldn’t hear them, but Terry Saban told USA TODAY Sports that the conversation went like this:
Terry Saban: “Do you want to watch another football game?”
Nick Saban: “Not really.”
Terry Saban: “Okay, let’s watch Netflix.”
Terry Saban explained that he and Nick watch foreign movies. “It’s in Turkish or something,” she said, adding that it would be helpful for her husband to have to read her subtitles.
“(The loss) completely takes my mind off it,” she said.
she told USA TODAY Sports while standing with a small group near the large tent where Nick Saban conducted his postgame interview. He did not mention his plans for next season.
When USA TODAY Sports asked Terry Saban if her husband planned to continue coaching, a young woman interjected.
“I haven’t answered any questions like that right now,” she said.
When asked how she was doing after losing her husband, Terry said: And try to find a glimmer of hope to teach other players for next time. ”
What Saban said about the final play call
Nick Saban suggested Alabama’s final play call of the season came from first-year offensive coordinator Tommy Reese. It won’t go down as one of the favorites in Alabama football history.
In overtime, with Alabama facing fourth-and-goal at the Michigan 3-yard line, quarterback Jalen Milroe took the snap and ran up the middle. He gained yards before a Michigan defender tackled him to end the game.
Michigan called a timeout, and Alabama called before the play could be executed.
“We called three plays,” Saban said. “One was what they called a timeout, another was what we called a timeout, and the last one didn’t work. The fact that it didn’t work made it very I made a bad decision. You know what I’m saying, right?
“But I took a timeout because it looked bad. I took a good look at the first one. They must have known that.”
In any case, Saban said Reese tried to get the ball into Milroe’s hands.
“…Tommy felt the best thing we could do was make a quarterback run. This was like our two-point play, one of our two-point plays in the game.” he said.
What happens to bad snaps?
Milroe and center Seth McLaughlin spent about four months solving the quarterback-center swap problem that had plagued them since the beginning of the season. No luck.
While Milroe mostly operated out of shotgun formation, McLaughin hit a few off-target snaps.
Two were converted on back-to-back plays early in the third quarter, and the second resulted in a sack for a six-yard loss.
“The quarterback and center have to have a great relationship, and that’s what we’ve been trying to build all season,” Milroe said when asked about the issue after the game. Seth and I talk a lot about that. That’s what we’re talking about. ”
McLaughlin, a senior, took over as the team’s starting center midway through the 2022 season.
Saban praises team’s turnaround
Yes, Saban admitted, he was disappointed in the loss.
“But what I told them in the locker room after the game is this is one of the greatest seasons in Alabama football history because of where this team has come from,” he said. Told. I’m really proud of what they were able to do, win the SEC Championship, and this group. ”
After a 34-24 loss to Texas in Week 2 of the season and a lackluster 21-7 win over South Florida in Week 3, Alabama’s season appeared to be coming to an end. However, the Crimson Tide changed the course of the season during an 11-game winning streak that culminated with a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
“As a coach, you’re always trying to improve your team and get them to be the best they can be. I think this team, like most teams, has probably grown since the games against South Florida and Texas earlier in the season. “I’ve coached before,” Saban said.
“It takes a lot of hard work. A lot of people are very passionate about self-evaluating their game and doing what they need to do to improve, and all of these players buy into this team and are very passionate about it. They did it in a first-class manner.
“That’s why, for me as a coach, and maybe not for others, this team will always be one of the most memorable for me, and one of the teams I’ll always be most proud of. think.”