Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban Said Ole Miss Crowd ‘Really Affected Us’
By Dave Daniels
@AllDave_AllDay
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
The Alabama Crimson Tide played a fantastic game against Ole Miss until the fourth quarter, but unfortunately for Nick Saban, that is the one which counts for the most. The Tide are likely out of the running for college football’s new playoff system at this point, and it would certainly only happen if they ran the table for the season’s duration. Even if they do that, I do not see it happening for Saban and company.
The head coach admitted that the road crowd got into his players’ heads, and the Crimson Tide had to burn two timeouts to avoid delay of game penalties.
“This was our first game on the road and it affected us,” Saban said to AL.com. “We did not play as well as what we had been playing and we didn’t continue to improve.”
If the Tide cannot improve their road play, then it be will quite a long season for them. You have to play well when you are not at home in order to win a national championship, and they suffered an additional blow when starting center Ryan Kelly went down with a knee sprain in the third quarter. This is a recurring injury for Kelly, which should make it doubly concerning for Alabama fans. I would not expect to see the center play for at least a month.
As for Mississippi, they must now be considered the favorites to win the SEC, but it may take time for the casual fan to understand that reality. The Crimson Tide will just have to find some different goals now.
Dave Daniels is a Prep Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.
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