Nick Saban’s success at Alabama usually shields him from all criticism, but after Alabama’s stunning loss to Tennessee on Saturday, one former head coach is taking him to task.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, former college head coach Rick Neuheisel admonished Saban for how he managed the end of the Tennessee game. He said that Saban failed to run the ball near the end to run out more clock and give his kicker an easier field goal to make.
“Not only does he recruit the best talent, but he manages games extremely well,” Neuheisel said. “You have to run the ball at the end of that game. You have to run the ball and not only try to get a few more yards for your kicker, you have to make Tennessee use their timeouts. Without those timeouts, Tennessee can’t get themselves back into field goal range.”
That’s a pretty strong message form Neuheisel, who previously coached Colorado, Washington and UCLA over a 12-year college head coaching career.
The loss to Tennessee was the first that Nick Saban has suffered against the Vols since taking over at Alabama.
For Saban, the Crimson Tide can still reach the SEC Championship Game and the national title game if they win out. But one more loss would almost certainly knock them out of the College Football Playoff.
Can Saban and the Tide bounce back from this loss to Tennessee?