Nick Saban Says Vanderbilt Only Not Hard Road Environment In SEC: Roll Call, September 21, 2024

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban spent time with Pat McAfee on Friday on his weekly appearance as the pair set up the upcoming weekend of college football by discussing the latest topics surrounding the sport.
ESPN College GameDay is in Norman for the Oklahoma and Tennessee matchup, prompting the pair to talk about difficult road environments throughout the Southeastern Conference.
"But the only place you play in the SEC that's not hard to play in is Vanderbilt," Saban said. "When you play at Vanderbilt, you have more fans there than they have and that's no disrespect to them, it's just the truth. When we played in Nashville we had more Alabama fans than what they had Vanderbilt fans."
Saban was 2-0 in Nashville, beating Vanderbilt in 2007 24-10 and again in 2017 59-0. The Crimson Tide returns to FirstBank Stadium under head coach Kalen DeBoer on Oct. 5 for it's second SEC game of the year.
“The only place you play in the SEC that’s not hard to play in is Vanderbilt. When you play at Vanderbilt, you have more fans there than they have.”
— Billy Derrick (@billyderrick10) September 20, 2024
- Nick Saban on @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/4V0LkKf35c
Today's Crimson Tide Schedule:
- Women's Golf at Mason Rudolph Championship, Franklin, Tennessee
- Men's Golf at Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, Chicago, Illinois
- Women's Tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Men's Tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Track and Field at the Firehawk Invitational, Danville, Alabama.
- Volleyball vs No. 18 Florida State, 2 p.m. CT, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Crimson Tide Results:
- Women's Golf is tied for 12th after the opening round of the Mason Rudolph Championship, with a team total of 1-under par 287. Julia Sanchez Morales, Mattison Frick and Isabella van der Biest all shot 1-under to open the event.
- Men's Golf is tied for 13th place
after the opening 18 holes at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational. The Crimson Tide opened the three-day, 54-hole event Friday with a team score of 11-over par 291. Dominic Clemons and Jonathan Griz led the Tide shooting 2-over.
Did You Notice?
- Alabama's women's hockey club team got a 6-5 victory over High Point on Friday night.
PUT THE PANTHERS TO SLEEP TONIGHT WITH A 6-5 WIN 🥳 pic.twitter.com/V5v6yAU8QX
— Alabama Women’s Hockey (@alabamawhockey) September 20, 2024
- Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban made comments supporting Bryce Young on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday after Young was benched by the Carolina Panthers.
"I hate to see Bryce Young get benched but I also don't see a lot of opportunity for him to be successful based on the skill players & offensive line around him..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 20, 2024
He's the type of player that can operate really well when he has good players around him"
Nick Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/uzZrbLuvIO
On This Date in Crimson Tide History:
September 21, 1974: Thirteen different players carried the football for 502 yards and led by quarterback Richard Todd the passing game added 141 more as Alabama crushed Southern Miss 52-0 at Legion Field. Todd also gained 69 yards rushing and the defense, led by end Mike Dubose, limited the Golden Eagles to 143 total yards and nine first downs. Freshman Ozzie Newsome, in only his second game in a Crimson Tide uniform, earned his first start as a wide receiver. – Bryant Museum
Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:
“The expectation level is high at the University of Alabama and it should be. What's wrong with people expecting excellence?”Gene Stallings
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Joe Gaither oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt web sites.
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