Football vs. Texas A&M Postgame Quotes
9/22/2018 7:03:00 PM | Football
Head Coach Nick Saban
Opening statement
"It was a really good win for our team. We have a lot of respect for Texas A&M and the job that Jimbo (Fisher) has done there. They are very good offensively, and they are one of the top five teams in the country when it comes to offense. We were fortunate today that we made a lot of big plays on offense, and we really moved the ball effectively. We scored a lot of points, but we didn't really control the game. We didn't control the line of scrimmage. We struggled to run the ball effectively with inconsistency, and that's something we need to work on. You have got to be able to finish the game, and they should never get the ball back at the end of the game. One of these days we are going to be in a situation where a team goes two minutes to score to win the game. So, there are certainly a lot of things that we want to work and improve on, but I am very proud of the way our team competed in the game. It was a very physical game, and defensively, we did a good job on third down, but I didn't think we finished the game the way I would like so that we can get the opportunity to play more players. We made some adjustments in the game. They were in nickel-deep, and we started playing nickel-thumb because they were hurting us with some passes. There is certainly a lot that we can work on and a lot we need to improve on, and I think our team has gone through four weeks where we have basically done what we were supposed to, and I think we need a couple days off here. Monday, we will not practice, and we will watch film and try to get some guys healthy and get some people back. I don't like to play more than six games without having two days off. I think it does the players a lot of good when it comes to recovery and healing up, so that will be the plan for us this week."
On the importance of pressuring Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond
"I thought it was really important. I think it was one of those things that contributed on third down. We had a lot of long yardage situations that I felt like, if executed a little bit better in the secondary, they wouldn't have made some of those plays that they made. We are going to have to do a much better job in the future. We are going to play against a lot of good teams. They are a good team. We didn't do a very good job against quarterback runs, which was a really important part of what we were trying to do. He really hurt us with three big play runs, one was a quarterback draw and the other two were quarterbacks' counters. We made some adjustments at halftime. I think we played a little better in the second half, but we really didn't finish the game like we would have liked."
On quarterback Tua Tagovailoa executing play action
"He does a really good job. Some of those plays are RPOs, some are play action passes. He does a good job, in terms of moving keys. They definitely had an extra guy in the box most of the time, so we were pulling the ball and throwing it and it was effective for us, but when we tried to run it we didn't have as much luck. That's something we are going to need to improve on, and I think create some balance in our offense."
#7 Trevon Diggs, DB
On taking care of business again
"Yeah, it was a great game against a great team. They played hard. We just had to keep battling all four quarters. In the fourth quarter, we had to keep playing. We were letting them get big gains in the first half, but we just kept working, kept pushing, kept fighting during it. We ended up coming out with a win and I'm proud of the way we fought today."
On the challenges of facing a dual-threat quarterback
"You always have to be on your Ps and Qs because when he runs – he's fast too – so it's going to cost you. He's a great player with a really good arm. You always have to be careful about what you're doing when you face a guy like that. You have to be really focused on your technique and really dialed in on the details of what you are doing."
#11 Henry Ruggs III, WR
On feeling great, putting up some numbers as a team
"Today felt good for everyone. We came out as a team. It's a conference game; we know the opponent. We knew we had competition coming into town, but we had to do what we had to do and defend our home field."
On the multiple guys who touched the ball today
"As a receiver, as a group collectively, we stick together. We try to go out and make plays for each other. That's out motto: We play for each other; we play for the man next to you. When everyone is getting touches and the ball is being spread around it feels good and everyone has great energy. It was great to get a lot of people involved and it was a complete team effort on offense to get this win."
Head Coach Jimbo Fisher
Opening statement
"First, I'd like to say congratulations to Alabama. They've got a heck of a football team. They did a great job, and their players played really well. They made the key plays in the game at the times when momentum was swinging in the game. We lost the ball at times, had opportunities to score points. I wish we had gotten a touchdown or so more in the first half. Had an opportunity to make it a one score game with about three minutes in the half, we're 21-13, and they get a two minute drive, a big play. We gave up too many of those. We've got to tackle better in space. They made a heck of a play on the interception right before half to get a field goal. But again, I thought our kids played hard. I thought we competed. We've got to understand when there are momentum swings. We had a couple short field where we were at their 40 or our own 40 or 50 midfield, and it was still a one or two score game, and we had opportunities to move the ball, and we just didn't. And then we'd punt it down and the defense would give up two or three big plays and score. But then we would come back and score again right after that. We had opportunities to bring it to a one or two score game and keep the pressure back. We just didn't do it."
On Kellen Mond's performance in the game
"I thought he competed and played very well. We had some designed runs, some were coming out. They were trying to rush so hard. They created rush wings. That's something when you play a running quarterback, just like with Tua a couple times, those guys get out. You've got to be careful how you rush them. But I thought he competed well. The first pass he had a guy wide open. He was trying to get it to him as he was getting hit trying to get it forward and that guy makes a heck of a pick. The second one, I thought he made a great throw. I've got to see it. He let it go. That was where we wanted to go with the ball. That was the hole we wanted. I can't wait to see what happened on that, but I thought he competed well. There were some opportunities on a couple of throws. I know a couple of decisions I thought he could have come back, but when you play quarterback that always happens. I mean there were only two throws. We had an opportunity. I thought we let one get away from us a little play action route right about midfield down about their 30. We had a shot and we just missed Jhamon (Ausbon) just a hair on a big play that really could have been a critical play in the game. That's what I'm talking about. We've got to keep on fighting for those inches and make it, but overall I thought he competed and played a very solid game."
On why he thought Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was so effective
"He's good. I mean he's good. He's got good people around him. I mean he's got really good people around him, and we tried to pressure him and he scrambled and they've got a good scheme, and they did a good job. He was very effective at what he did, and we've got to play better. There's no doubt."
#34 Braden Mann, P
Setting NCAA record
"I could have done a lot things better. It's cool to have a record but I have to put my team in a position to do better - I've got to put more punts inside the 20. The individual stats are alright but I have to have a better game as far as field-position."
Mood in locker room after game
"This is just one step closer to who we're becoming. We're trying to be a better team at the end of the season than we were at the beginning. "
#11 Kellen Mond, QB
On how Alabama's defense made things difficult
"They mixed up bunch of their defenses, tried to disguise some stuff. A lot of the stuff we saw in practice. There was a little bit of inconsistencies with me. I've got to trust my eyes a little bit better."
On disappointment of getting field goals instead of touchdowns
"That was something that we practiced a lot. We knew going into this game, it was going to be difficult. We continue to play no matter what, though."
