Nick Saban addresses Alabama’s ‘continuity’ issues ahead of Texas loss

Nick Saban believes continuity was an issue for Alabama in its 34-24 loss to Texas on Saturday. During Thursday’s episode of “Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show,” Saban revealed concerns he had about the team before Saturday’s loss.

“I never say this on the show. You always ask me how the week has been. I always say it’s been pretty good, but sometimes I don’t think it’s been good,” Saban said. “Maybe it was the continuity of not having all the players able to practice last week and how that impacted and affected everybody but it wasn’t a week that had great continuity going in.”

Nick Saban reviews effect on secondary

Saban’s secondary was especially thin during practice last week. Senior safety Jaylen Key exited Alabama’s win over Middle Tennessee State with an injury. While Key played the entirety of the game on Saturday, he surely wasn’t at full strength leading up to the contest.

Key wasn’t the only one fighting through the pain. Senior cornerback Malachi Moore also left the Middle Tennessee State game with an injury. Moore played against Texas, but wore a boot on his left foot at the postgame press conference, indicating the injury was not fully healed.

Saban claims the tumultuous condition of his two key pieces was a factor in the loss.

“When you play against a team like that, especially on defense, you don’t have a couple of guys in secondary, and they do a lot of multiples, formations, motions shifts that take a lot of adjustments and you need that experience to be able to manage that and we didn’t manage it very well in the game,” Saban said.

If Alabama’s secondary was weakened, the Longhorns took advantage of the soft spot. In the win, Texas boasted 349 passing yards while throwing zero interceptions. Worse, Alabama suffered even more injuries in the defeat.

Adding more concern to a growing problem

Senior defensive lineman Tim Smith went down early in the game but was able to walk off the field under his own power. After being evaluated, Smith returned to the game. Nonetheless, the mishap could always have subtle effects in the future.

Additionally, junior linebacker Trezmen Marshall exited the game late in the fourth quarter. While Marshall walked off the field of his own volition, Saban did not provide an update on the linebacker following the contest.

The Crimson Tide can’t afford to suffer a lack of continuity again. With one loss, Alabama must be perfect to reach the College Football Playoff this season. The team will look to bounce back on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET against South Florida. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

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