Nick Saban Addresses Alabama's Penalty Problem
Even though Alabama is undefeated and No. 1 in the country through three games, there has been one glaring issue in each game: penalties.
In fact, the total number of penalties per game has increased from game to game. The Crimson Tide had eight penalties against Miami, nine against Mercer and then 11 on Saturday at Florida. After the Mercer game, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said if anyone felt frustrated by the penalties, he was 10 times more frustrated.
On Wednesday's SEC Coaches Teleconference, Saban called penalties a "great" issue for his team citing how on offense they push you behind the chains, and how on defense they give the other team opportunities.
Several of Alabama's penalties in the Swamp were affected or caused by the noise from the Florida fans including four false starts and a delay of game. According to Saban, there are two types of penalties, and the ones just listed would fall into the undisciplined category.
"There's two kinds of penalties, you know there's lack of focus, lack of discipline penalties, whether it's offsides, false starts, illegal formations," Saban said. "Those types of penalties you definitely want to clean up."
The other category would be more aggressive, in the moment penalties like a pass interference, holding, block in the back, etc. These are still not acceptable per Saban but are more likely to happen during the speed of a game. What he really wants to see are the undisciplined penalties cleaned up.
"I think if you can eliminate the undisciplined penalties, you would probably eliminate at least half the penalties that we've had," Saban said.
Alabama's next opportunity to reduce the penalties will happen when the Crimson Tide hosts Southern Miss on Saturday.
