Alabama football: Half-empty student section draws Nick Saban ire

ORLANDO, FL - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts in the third quarter of the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Camping World Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Alabama won 51-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts in the third quarter of the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Camping World Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Alabama won 51-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

In Nick Saban’s Alabama football media session on Wednesday, he discussed Arkansas, injuries and player discipline. What fired him up was empty student seats last Saturday.

More typical Alabama football Wednesday practice and Saban media review information is included later in this post. We interrupt that coverage to bring you a special bulletin. Nick Saban is not satisfied with the student response to the Alabama football team.

Early Wednesday evening Nick was still steamed from Saturday when half of the student section was empty. Saban was clear the student attendance was not acceptable. So great was his ire, there may be student seating policy changes soon.

Saban went far enough to say,

"Me personally, I think it ought to be first-come, first-serve. If they don’t want to come to the game, they don’t have to come. But I’m sure there are enough people around here that would like to go to the games and we’d like for them to come too because they support the players."

Saban later complimented the great Crimson Tide fans who support the team at home and on the road. But he made it clear to students none of them are entitled to a seat at Bryant-Denny. What riles Saban is the atmosphere in the stadium students sometimes fail to provide. What he said exactly, provided by tidesports.com,

"When I first came here, you used to play that tradition thing up there (on the in-stadium big screens) and everybody was cheering and excited and happy and there was great spirit. Now they don’t even cheer. They introduce our players and nobody even cheers. So I don’t know, maybe there’s something else somebody else ought to talk about. Maybe I shouldn’t talk about it. Maybe I already talked about it more than I should."

Check out this video of Nick talking about spirit.

Saban made an eloquent point about spirit. While made in the context of a half-empty student section, it could apply to all of us Alabama football fans.

We talk about the special nature of Alabama football. We talk on and on, and rightfully so, about legacies and championships. Nick Saban clearly believes the Crimson Tide spirit must be special in every way. The extraordinary run of the Alabama-Saban era, requires in Nick’s mind, excellence in all things, including the spirit and commitment of fans. All fans and particularly students.

If or when changes are made to student seating, there may be some kicking and screaming. We expect it will be drowned out by students ready to rise to Saban’s challenge.

Arkansas Practice Notes

  • Jonah Williams was still hobbled but worked on Wednesday and will try to play Saturday. Matt Womack will fill in at the left tackle role if Williams cannot recover sufficiently.
  • Daniel Wright missed the second day of practice. Saban told the media Wright was “suspended for a violation of team rules.” Wright injured a shoulder early in the season but has been fully cleared and has played in four games.
  • The defense worked in dime with Saivion Smith and Patrick Surtain at the corners, Trevon Diggs and Xavier McKinney at star and money, plus Deionte Thompson and Shyheim Carter at safeties.
  • In the media session, Saban said the Tide rushing defense statistics have been affected by backup players not doing as well defending the run. He said he has been pleased with the first unit against the run.

Next. CFB Top Eight Teams after Week Five. dark

Let’s not forget there is also a football game to be won Saturday. Almost all Alabama football fans have already marked it down as a win. Nick Saban would not care for that either.