“I am embarrassed” - When former Alabama HC Nick Saban bluntly expressed his frustration with his team’s play

Nick Saban had a long career as the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, staying with the team from 2007 to 2023. He enjoyed considerable success in that position, and part of that success came because he was always willing to tell his team they were playing poorly, even if they were winning. He would not mince words and would never let his teams become complacent.

One of the most notable moments when Saban got emotional was in 2016 against Chattanooga. Alabama was the No. 1 ranked team in the nation at the time and played against the unranked Chattanooga Mocs.

They were winning 14-3 at the half, but that was not good enough for Saban and he expressed that in an interview with reporter Olivia Harlan before going to the locker room. He expressed how he was embarrassed with how his team was playing.

"We're not doing a very good job of pass protecting. We're not throwing the ball in time. We don't have much consistency on offense throwing pass. So we just gotta do a better job of putting drives together and defensively they gave us some new stuff that confused us a little bit but we settled down a little bit.

"We gotta know what kind of game we're in and we gotta play better. I'm gonna tell them right now. I am embarrassed of the way we played this half."

After speaking to his team at halftime, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide did not allow another point from Chattanooga. They added 17 of their own to win the game 31-3.

How did the rest of the 2016 season go for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide?

After defeating Chattanooga, Alabama improved its record to 11-0 and did not lose another game throughout the regular season. They played the SEC Championship game against Florida, winning 54-16.

After the championship, Alabama's next game was nearly a month later when they played in the semifinals of the CFP playoffs. They defeated No. 4 ranked Washington 24-7 to earn a spot in the National Championship game.

In the all-important National Championship game, Alabama faced off with No. 2 ranked Clemson. The Crimson Tide were unable to complete their perfect season and ultimately lost a close game 35-31. The loss stopped Alabama from winning three National Championships in a row as it had won in both 2015 and 2017.