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Nick Saban won his fifth national championship – and fourth with Alabama – following the Crimson Tide’s 45-40 win against Clemson on Monday night.
Here is what he had to say following the win:
On getting the ball to TE O.J. Howard, who had more than 200 yards receiving and two touchdowns:
“We’ve been trying to get the ball to him more and more and more. He’s a great player and he certainly made some big plays for us tonight. He was a weapon for us on offense.”
On how he felt about this year’s team winning:
“This is, I hate to say, my favorite team because I love them all, but these guys have come so far and accomplished so much. Their will, their spirit, and their willingness to compete and do the things they needed to do to be the kind of team they could be. I’m so happy for the team. This was all about winning the game for them. This is great for our fans and it is great for the state of Alabama.”
On exceeding expectations:
“There weren’t very many people early in the season that thought this team could do it. I’ve never been prouder for a group of guys than this, that’s why I’m so happy for these players.”
On recovering from the early season loss to Ole Miss:
“What does it take to overcome a loss? You’ve got to have character to overcome adversity and every one of these guys did it. That’s why these guys are here now.”
On the 2015 team:
“They have tremendous passion for each other and for the game. We didn’t play our best game tonight, but they did what they had to win. I’m smiling.”
On the difference in the game:
“I think special teams may have been the difference in this game. The onside kick and kickoff return sort of turned the momentum in this game.”
On separating this championship from his other four:
“None of those other championships were anything that I thought about. I just thought about what I could do to help this team be successful.”
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
