Saban reveals what he would tell Alabama if he was coaching Tide ahead of LSU

Nov 9, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) looks over the Alabama Crimson Tide defense during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Nick Saban feels Alabama football need to come out hot against the LSU Tigers on Saturday night to extinguish the fire the Tigers could enter the game with after the firing of Brian Kelly.

“I would assume that when you are playing a game like this, if I was the coach I would tell our guys we are going to have to play through the initial great enthusiasm that they are going to come out with to try to prove something, and you are going to have to change the way they think,” Saban said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “You need to do that by getting off to a great start and not let them stay in the game because if they can stay in the game and think they got a chance to win, you are creating a monster.”

Saban revealed earlier in the show he thinks the coaching staff changes the Tigers have made as of late put the Tide in an unfavorable position.

“I think that it’s a very scary situation because it’s very unknown to them,” Saban said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “How is LSU’s team going to react to this? And what changes are they going to make? The players have nothing to lose, as you said. So are they going to play free and easy and just go out and try to play the best football they can? And they probably feel a little disrespected. I’m talking about LSU relative to where they are, their season, how it’s gone, their coach getting fired. So it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.”