Alabama Football: Nicks Saban gets needed lesson for the Crimson Tide

Alabama football, as Nick Saban warned could happen, got a wakeup call Saturday against The Citadel before prevailing 50-17.

Alabama football coach, Nick Saban provided warnings all week. He warned the media and Crimson Tide fans of the risks in undervaluing an opponent. He not only warned his Alabama football team, he also showed them plays from a past Georgia Southern game.

Based on the first half Saturday, many players did not heed the warnings. At halftime, the score was 10-10. After the Tide fumbled away the second-half kickoff, The Citadel kicked a 45-yard field goal to take the lead – except the Bulldogs were penalized for a false start. They had to kick again and missed.

From that point, the Crimson Tide offense took charge, scoring 40 second-half points. The Crimson Tide defense also gained control. The Citadel gained 275 yards for the game but 110 of those yards came on three, triple-option pitches to running back Dante Smith. The Crimson Tide was burned by missed assignments on those plays, failing to execute against the unfamiliar offense.

After the game, Nick Saban was asked what he said to his team at halftime. Talking to his players about The Citadel, Nick said,

"You’re talking about a team that doesn’t have any players on their team that could play for our team, yet we’re not dominating them."

Check out the video compliments of Rick Karle.

Whether it was Nick’s halftime admonishment or the scoreboard, the Crimson Tide responded in the second half. Nick had warned all week that preparing and playing to the anticipated level of an opponent is dangerous. We know his team did not heed the lesson.

We hope Saturday got their fullest attention. In front of this team is a potential four-game run to a potential championship. The team that ran on the field Saturday showed it is not yet ready to be a champion. There is time, perhaps ample time to change that, but there are no days, no practices, no reps to be wasted.

Defensively Saturday, a FCS team with a losing record, gained  4.6 yards-per-carry against the Crimson Tide. In the first quarter, against an undersized Citadel defense, the Alabama football offense ran the ball four times for 20 yards Tua scrambled for 16 of those yards. The other three runs by Damien Harris gained four yards. In the second quarter, the Tide faced a third-and-2 at Citadel’s five-yard-line. Two plays to get two yards and the Tide chose to pass. The Tua to Ruggs pass was incomplete. If Alabama football can’t run it straight at a FCS opponent and gain two yards with two tries, what about defenses with fully grown men?

Forget the 24-hour rule. It is officially Iron Bowl week. Check in with us often as Bama Hammer follows every bit of Crimson Tide news leading up to Saturday.