Nick Saban tips hat to Auburn: 'Thank God what could have happened didn’t happen'

Defensive back Terrion Arnold sealed the deal with a pick a few moments later to help Alabama escape with the win, but it was all too close to comfort for Saban.

“I went to church yesterday. The first thing I said was, ‘Thank God what could have happened didn’t happen,'” Saban said in a recent news conference (h/t On3). “A little bit of a reality check. One of the things that we wanted to do in the game was channel our passion and our energy into positive execution on the field.

“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.”

Errors are one thing against a mediocre Auburn team, but Saban's squad won't get the luxury to make mistakes against No. 1 Georgia this weekend in the SEC Championship game. With that said, he's happy his squad has made it this far so far.

“The reality check part comes from taking the good things and building on them and getting some of these other things corrected,” Saban explained. “You’re having the opportunity to play in the SEC championship game.

“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.”