Coach Nick Saban watches his Crimson Tide players warm up before Alabama's 49-30 win over the Razorbacks in Fayetteville Saturday, October 8, 2016. Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr. Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nick Saban admits why he was disappointed after FSU football dominated Alabama

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Dustin Lewis | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 8:00 AM ET

What the Florida State Seminoles did to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday was no fluke. The Seminoles controlled the Crimson Tide for the majority of the game, attaining a 24-7 lead in the third quarter.

Alabama did respond down the stretch but Florida State put the game away in the final frame following a gutsy fourth-down conversion in its own territory, walking out of Doak Campbell Stadium with a 31-17 finish.

Now fans and media pundits around the country are wondering, are the Seminoles for real, or are the Crimson Tide trending down in head coach Kalen DeBoer's second year in Tuscaloosa?

DeBoer was the man who decided to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Nick Saban, who had unparalleled success at Alabama from 2007-23. Saban won six National Championships and nine SEC Championships during his time at the helm of the Crimson Tide.

Since then, he's taken on a role on ESPN's College GameDay, showing America each weekend that grumpy can still be quite entertaining and knowledgeable.

Saban shared his thoughts on Alabama's loss to Florida State on Monday night.

Nick Saban Was Disappointed In Alabama's Level Of Physicality

If there was one thing that caught Saban's attention in the defeat, it was the lack of physicality at the line of scrimmage.

Alabama had the more experienced front seven on defense and was expected to run the ball at will on offense.

That didn't happen as the Seminoles revamped offensive line only surrendered one sack and three tackles for loss. On defense, Florida State bounced back after the first drive.

The Crimson Tide rushed for 55 yards on their opening possession. After that, they only accumulated 32 yards on the ground over their next nine drives.

Saban does think Alabama could make a big leap from last week to this week.

"Well, that's all about last year. That creates the expectation for this year. Obviously, for me and for a lot of the Bama fans, the disappointment that Florida State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball," Saban said on College Football Countdown ahead of North Carolina-TCU. "But the good news is every team has the best opportunity to improve going in from Week 1 to Week 2.

"Really going into the season, you don't really know what you have for sure as a coach and you're always very anxious about what might happen in the first game," Saban added. "I'm sure they're all very disappointed, players, coaches alike but they do have a great chance to improve from Week 1 to Week 2. That's when you normally make the biggest improvement."

Regardless of where the Crimson Tide goes from here, Florida State has a lot to build on. The next two games will be crucial to continue improving ahead of conference play at the end of September.

Meanwhile, Alabama opens its home slate against LA-Monroe.