Saban: Bama defense confused by Vols' I-formation

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Saban: Alabama defense 'did not know what to do' against Tennessee's I-formation

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 10/21/22

Tennessee pulled off the upset of the weekend last week when it beat Alabama, 52-49, in Knoxville on Saturday. Nick Saban has said that his players were tight entering the game. He also shared how the Vols did something that left his Crimson Tide defense confused.

On Thursday, Saban was hosting his weekly radio show. The Alabama coach talked about how much offense has changed over the years. To illustrate his point, Saban said that the Vols lined up in the I-formation during the game, and his defense didn’t know what to do.

Nick Saban discusses how much college football has changed when it comes to offense, which he said is for the good.

“Tennessee got in what looked like an I-formation last week on the goal-line and our players actually did not know what to do”

Via: @UA_Athletics pic.twitter.com/IOAbOf6Mab

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) October 21, 2022

“Tennessee got in what looked like an I-formation last week, on the goal line, and our players actually did not know what to do,” Saban admitted. “They had never seen it.”

That admission reflects poorly on Saban, because it’s his job to have his team prepared for everything. In addition to the I-formation example, Saban talked about how spread out the game is. The Vols were lining their receivers up just two yards inside of the out of bounds lines.

This was the first time the Vols beat Alabama under Saban, which is a credit to their new coach, Josh Heupel. The Vols are now ranked No. 3 and face Tennessee Martin next. Bama hosts Mississippi State on Saturday.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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