Fiery Nick Saban hasn't gone anywhere. Alabama football fans can thank Miss Terry
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Nick Saban wore a puzzled look for a few seconds, then he threw his right arm in the air.
Right after, he went over to receiver Malik Benson and yelled a few inches from his face. Then Saban turned back toward the field and continued wearing the confused look. Then he mouthed a question that oozed with displeasure.
Not even six minutes had passed in Alabama football's game against Mississippi State on Saturday.
It wouldn't be the last time Saban got heated either Saturday. He might be weeks away from turning 72, but he showed in the 40-17 win against Mississippi State he's still more than willing to get on players when they don't do something to the standard he expects. Don't think for a second he can't and won't get after players in his 17th season leading the Crimson Tide (4-1, 2-0 SEC).
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Saban had plenty of reasons to be frustrated early. The Crimson Tide almost muffed a punt, had a miscommunication on a snap that led to it hitting quarterback Jalen Milroe when he wasn't ready, and Milroe was sacked twice on the first four plays, just to name a few things that might have irritated Saban.
So, he wasn't afraid to express his displeasure on multiple occasions in the first half when sloppiness occurred. If you ask him, he was just being a good husband.
"Miss Terry told me if we’re not playing good, get on their butt," Saban said. "So I was just doing what I was told.”
He's been married almost 52 years for a reason.
If that's what Miss Terry wanted, she would have also enjoyed how her husband reacted to a rushing touchdown the defense gave up to Mississippi State backup quarterback Mike Wright in the second quarter.
Saban didn't wait for all the players to get to the sideline after the touchdown. He walked several steps onto the field, more than ready to give the defenders his thoughts and give some you-know-what chewings.
Although several defenders were in the area, Wright didn't face much resistance on his way to the end zone. Saban became animated with a player on the field, and the conversation didn't end once they reached the sideline. Saban continued to make a point with his arms and a less-than-pleased look on his face for more than a moment.
His fiery approach worked, too. Alabama smoothed out some early hiccups, the offense got rolling and the defense played stout overall, forcing three interceptions. The Crimson Tide minimized mistakes for the most part the rest of the way.
"That’s one of the best things about coach Saban," linebacker Chris Braswell said. "Once we had seen how he was on the sideline, we knew we had to step it up and just settle down and read our keys and just go play Bama football."
Safety Jaylen Key is new to the Alabama defense, having transferred over from UAB in the offseason. It hasn't taken him long to learn it's important to just listen to Saban when the coach gets fired up. "He's saying something that's definitely going to help us in the game," Key said.
And saying it with plenty of passion. That hasn't changed and probably never will so long as Saban's coaching college football.
"He's still got it," Key said. "He's still got all the fire."
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football: Fiery Nick Saban is back. Thank Miss Terry
