‘I love it’: Saban enjoying Tide’s up-and-down ’23
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban grinned as he turned a cigar over in his hands, wrapped up his postgame interview and jogged over to the student section to applaud it for a job well done after the 11th-ranked Crimson Tide finished off a 34-20 win at home against No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday evening.
The game felt like a microcosm of Alabama’s season thus far, starting out shaky before ultimately finding a way to survive and advance. The Tide, who have won six straight since a Week 2 loss to Texas, trailed by 13 at halftime and went on to score 27 straight against the rival Vols.
Afterward, Saban was asked about the journey this team has been on, including establishing an offensive identity with a new quarterback in Jalen Milroe and surviving closer-than-expected games against USF and Arkansas.
“I love it,” Saban said of coaching this team. “It’s been great. The challenges are great. I enjoy coaching this team. That’s not to say they’re not taking years off my life. But I’m OK with it. It’s fun because they’ve got a good spirit about them.”
Saban said it has been a fun group to coach because of the players’ competitive spirit, the relationships they have and their ability to take coaching.
Milroe was benched a week after throwing two interceptions against Texas. In the five games since he was reinstated as the starter, he has thrown eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
“I don’t think we sometimes show the maturity from a competitive standpoint to do everything on a consistent basis, which is what we keep trying to work toward,” Saban said. “But I’ll tell you, eight weeks in a row [without a bye] and the grind that we’ve had the last 4-5 weeks with the games in our league, I think psychologically we probably had a little bit of a tired team out there at the beginning of the game. And I think the momentum of the game gave them the energy they needed to play the way they could.”
Saban said the defense adjusted at halftime, switching from three down linemen to four, which helped them create pressure on Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton.
Milton finished 28-of-41 for 271 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked three times.
Defensive back Malachi Moore, who returned from an ankle sprain to play, said the message in the locker room at halftime was to “keep fighting.”
“This is what we do,” he said. “We’re built for situations like this.”
Moore acknowledged that the game meant “a lot,” given the way the Tide lost last season at Tennessee. Vols fans rushed the field and stadium operators played Alabama favorite “Dixieland Delight” over the loudspeakers in celebration.
Moore, who finished the game with five tackles and a pass breakup, said the Tide had been thinking about that loss all year long.
“It was personal,” said linebacker Chris Braswell, who had two sacks.
Saban, who called on fans to be loud this week, made a point to acknowledge the energy they provided the team.
“I wish I could thank each one of them personally,” he said.
After finishing taking questions, Saban had a parting message for reporters.
“Appreciate you all,” he said. “Fun day.”
Alabama, which has the next week off, will host No. 19 LSU on Nov. 4.
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The 23-year-old Abrams led off for the Nationals and went 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT. He was informed of the demotion Friday night, sources said. He will be sent to West Palm Beach, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.
Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.
Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.
Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first-half into an All-Star selection, hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and Abrams’ defense has been a weakness throughout the season.
Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.
“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Saturday. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson defensive end Peter Woods will not play for the 21st-ranked Tigers against NC State on Saturday because of a leg injury.
The team announced Woods’ status about 90 minutes before kickoff. Woods, 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, got hurt two weeks ago on a chop block below the knee in a 66-20 victory over App State. Woods came back in briefly after getting checked then missed the second half.
The Tigers were off last weekend.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has said Woods’ playing status was day-to-day. Swinney said Woods had not missed a practice. But Woods came out to the field for warmups in sneakers and sweatpants while other defensive linemen went through drills.
Woods leads the Tigers with 2½ tackles for loss.
Third-year sophomore Jahiem Lawson is listed as Woods’ backup on the depth chart.
NC State will be without starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who was hurt last week in a win over Louisiana Tech. Freshman CJ Bailey started for the Wolfpack.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Utah quarterback Cam Rising is a game-time decision with an injury to his throwing hand, sources told ESPN, with the expectation that he will attempt to start.
No. 12 Utah plays at No. 14 Oklahoma State on Saturday, one of the biggest games of the season in the Big 12.
Rising has been limited in practice this week with the injury, and he is not expected to be 100% if he does play. He will be monitored closely to see how his injured fingers impact how he throws. The fingers play a huge role in both spin and velocity, which will impact his effectiveness in the passing game.
He injured his hand Sept. 7 against Baylor in the second quarter when he threw a ball away and was pushed out of bounds and landed awkwardly on the water coolers on the Bears sideline.
Rising warmed up with a glove on his hand before last week’s game against Utah State but did not play, and he was spotted with two fingers wrapped on the sideline against Baylor. It’s uncertain if he will use the glove on Saturday.
Utah’s offense plays a majority of its snaps under center and uses clapping as a mechanism in its snapping operation, which would both stress the fingers.
Backup quarterback Isaac Wilson is a true freshman who made his first career start against Utah State, going 20-of-33 passing for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He took first-team reps in practice this week when Rising wasn’t out there.
Wilson is the brother of former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who now plays in the NFL for the Denver Broncos.
Rising is a seventh-year senior who had emerged as one of the Pac-12’s top quarterbacks in 2021 and 2022. He has been snakebit by injuries in recent seasons, as an injury in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season ultimately led to him missing the entire 2023 season.
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