Notebook: Nick Saban Describes Watching Iron Bowl From Home, Malachi Moore Emerging as Young Star
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In over four decades in the coaching industry, Nick Saban had never missed a game until Saturday, when the University of Alabama rocked Auburn, 42-13, in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
It had been 14 years since the Crimson Tide last had someone not named Nick Saban patrolling the sidelines so seeing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian lead the team out of the tunnel must have been a strange sight for fans at first.
But what might have been even weirder was Saban's vantage point.
He sat at home, in a room that he and his wife, Terry, have donned as their 'recruiting room.' It's a space that can hold dozens and dozens of people, mainly used for hosting prospective student-athletes and their families on visits.
There's a pool table, some space for line dancing according to Saban, and tons of Alabama paraphernalia and memorabilia lining the walls.
There he sat, watching his team cruise to a blowout victory against an in-state rival and his quarterback Mac Jones dazzle, gaining ground in the Heisman-Trophy conversation after throwing for five touchdowns and 300 yards.
After the game, Saban admitted he got a little rowdy while experience a day like any other for him in his long and illustrious career.
"This is an unusual circumstance for me to be in," Saban said. "Me watching from afar, to see our team play from afar ... I sat here and felt a little helpless, but I could see things, yell at things, and listen to Mrs. Terry cheer downstairs. It's a little different but still feels good to win."
So yes, Saban was his normal self as much as he could be.
"I think I did yell at the TV today," Saban said with a laugh. "A couple times when we made some mistakes in coverage. A couple times when we missed some tackles. A couple times when Mac didn't throw the ball to the guy I wanted him to throw it to.
"I guess it was more than a couple."
Overall, Saban praised how well Sarkisian and the rest of the coaching staff handled his absence.
"I think our coaching staff did a marvelous job," Saban said. "They played the situations well. We had a good plan and they executed it. Sark did a nice job of managing things... I thought he was well-prepared for what he needed to do."
Malachi Moore Developing Into Young Star
There might not be a freshman defensive back in all of America playing better than the Crimson Tide's Malachi Moore.
With Auburn marching down the field towards the end of the first half, Moore intercepted a pass from Tigers signal caller Bo Nix that shut down any opportunity of scoring for the visitors.
It was his third pick of the season and he also has a scoop-and-score from earlier in the year against Tennessee. Moore finished the Iron Bowl with three total tackles, one tackle for loss.
"Early in the season, we saw a lot of stuff," Saban said. "Missouri, Ole Miss, you know, those games were really tough for the defensive players, especially the young ones. They saw about everything you could possibly see from an adjustment standpoint. But I think they learned a lot from it.
"Malachi is the kind of guy that makes a mistake once, he learns from it. He is smart. He gets it right the next time. The cumulative effect of those experiences has made him a lot more confident and he has played really, really well for us and I'm sure he will continue to improve, but we are certainly pleased with the progress he has made up to this point."
Think about this: Moore is the first Alabama freshman to intercept multiple passes in a single-season since 2015 when Minkah Fitzpatrick, Marlon Humphrey, and Ronnie Harrison did it.
That's pretty elite company and even Humphrey chimed in on social media on the Trussville, Ala. native's performance.
Tide-bits ...
- Alabama has now scored 35-or-more points in 21 straight games dating back to the 2018 national title game against Clemson. It's the longest streak in college football history.
- Jones is only the third quarterback in Crimson Tide history to throw for five touchdowns in a single-game. Tua Tagovailoa and Gary Hollingsworth are the other two to have accomplished that feat.
- Alabama is 63-17 (.788) against the Associated Press Top 25 since the start of the 2008 season. The win over Auburn was the Crimson Tide's third victory over a top 25 team. It beat No. 3 Georgia and No. 13 Texas A&M.
- Placekicker Will Reichard is still perfect on the year, making all 60 of his kicks so far. He was 6-of-6 on Saturday.
- Running back Najee Harris moved into sixth place all-time in career rushing-yards after totaling 96 yards on the ground against the Tigers. He passes Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram II.
- The Crimson Tide's captains of the 85th Iron Bowl were tight end Miller Forristall, offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, and defensive end LaBryan Ray.
