Saban after Alabama's eventful week: 'The norm now is disruption'
Nick Saban certainly endured an eventful week, as his initial COVID-19 test turned out to be a false positive, but that didn't stop Alabama from running over an SEC rival.
Saban credited his team for dismissing the off-field distractions that came with his tests en route to a 41-24 win over Georgia on Saturday.
"I've got a lot of gratitude myself for the way they handled all the disruptions of the week," he told reporters, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "They responded with a lot of maturity. But the norm now is disruption. It's going to happen."
"It was very emotional for me to come back today," Saban added, per Roger Hoover of Crimson Tide Sports Network. "I think they handled the disruption really well. I told them when I got sick, I haven't made a tackle or a block for 40 years, whether i'm there or not you guys should be able to go take care of business."
The Crimson Tide trailed 24-20 heading into the third quarter, but rode a dominant second half to victory. Star receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle both eclipsed 160 yards, though Saban noted it took a full team effort to take down the Bulldogs.
"I was really proud of the way our guys fought in the game," the head coach said, via Hoover. "I knew it would be a 15-round fight and knew we wouldn't be winning until the final rounds. I think it was a great win against a very good team."
Alabama travels to Knoxville to take on Tennessee next week.