Alabama HC Nick Saban's angry response to reporter's question about "luck" turns heads after win: "It still comes down to our ability to execute”

Nick Saban led the Alabama Crimson Tide to a Iron Bowl win over the Auburn Tigers on Monday. However, the game was much closer than was predicted, considering the two teams' fortunes this season.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a last-minute touchdown to Isaiah Bond, which sealed the deal for the Tide in a tense game. The win allowed the Crimson Tide to stay in consideration for the college football playoff spots with an 11-1 record this season.

Coach Nick Saban snapped at a reporter who suggested that the win was down to luck:

“We’ve been on both sides of the good fortune and the misfortune,” Saban said. “I got to admit, we had good fortune. But, it still comes down to our ability to execute.”

The Iron Bowl game is always emotional, and Nick Saban detailed how his team can grow from the game.

"I went to church yesterday. The first thing I said was, ‘Thank God what could have happened didn’t happen. One of the things we wanted to do in the game was channel our passions and energy into positive execution on the field," Saban said. "And I think when we did that, we played really, really well."

"But there were some times where we didn’t, and it was very costly in terms of some of the errors that we made, whether they were penalties or mistakes on defense or whatever it might be. So the reality check part comes from taking the good things and building on them and getting some of these other things corrected," he added.

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What's next for Nick Saban and Alabama?

The SEC game has taken on a new importance with the unbeaten Georgia Bulldogs on a 29-game winning streak since the SEC game in 2021 when the Tide beat them.

The team that wins this game is likely to be a lock for the college football playoff spots. Although the Bulldogs are slight favorites, the Alabama Crimson Tide have shown their sharpness.

In his SEC championship week news conference, Nick Saban challenged his players and was nothing but complimentary about his former assistant, Kirby Smart's team.

“I’m very, very proud of this team for the progress that they’ve made, the work that they’ve done to give themselves an opportunity to play in the SEC championship game. This is one of the most competitive best venues in college football, and we’re obviously playing one of the best teams in college football," Saban said.

“This is a team that doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses,” Saban said. “That’s why they are who they are and what they are.

If 'The Game' was considered the game of the season, this blooming rivalry is the clash of titans that college football has sorely missed.