Brando: Saban "Absolutely" Blames Staff For Clemson Debacle
Nick Saban threw his coaching staff under the bus; his players, meanwhile, still don't believe Clemson was the better team
July 18, 2019 - 10:38 am
As you may recall, Clemson embarrassed Alabama in the national championship in January. The Crimson Tide led 16-14 in the second quarter but were outscored 30-0 thereafter. They lost, 44-16, as Clemson finished 15-0 to win its second national championship three years.
Just don't tell that to Alabama's players, who attributed the loss to lack of preparation, or Nick Saban, who attributed it to his coaching staff.
"Does he basically blame his staff? Absolutely," FOX Sports college football commentator Tim Brando said on Ferrall on the Bench. "He doesn't say it's the staff's fault, but he indicates this is what was happening. Things weren't the same from the LSU game on."
Alabama started the year 14-0 but struggled against Georgia in the SEC Championship. The Tide won, 35-28, before beating Oklahoma, 45-34, in the Orange Bowl.
Then Clemson happened.
Nevertheless, Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses doesn't believe Clemson was a better team. That line of thinking may be a product of his head coach.
"If Alabama lost to the New England Patriots, Nick would have every Alabama fan convinced that the Patriots didn't win the game; it was just what Alabama did to lose it," Brando said. "Alabama fumbled it too many times, they had their minds on something else – it's never because the other team kicked your ass. That is what you come away with if you are an Alabama fan."
Or a member of the (SEC) media.
"I believe the media is in lockstep, too," Brando said. "I've got a lot of good friends over there at the SEC Network, and they buy this stuff. It does work its way into the mainstream media. In a lot of ways, I applaud Saban. It's mastery. It's absolute mastery. Much of the media is in fear of Nick. They fear him. They really do. Much like the players, I've seen some of the media – not all, but some – and God knows the fan base. They just believe Nick Saban has never said anything that's incorrect."
Click below to listen to Brando's interview in its entirety.
07-17-19 - Ferrall On The Bench - Tim Brando Interview
Tim Brando
Nick Saban