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Nick Saban describes mindset players need for rematch in National Championship
By SDS Staff
Published:
Alabama knows it faces a tall task in trying to beat Georgia twice in a matter of weeks. On Friday, Nick Saban said that he’s using his players’ NFL aspirations to help them get ready for facing a familiar foe.
“You play all the teams in your division twice (in the NFL), so that means you’re gonna play the same team twice,” Saban told reporters in Indianapolis, per Charlie Potter of 247Sports. “I don’t think college players are actually used to that, but this is something that you have to learn from whatever you can do better from when you played the first time and try to have the right mindset to know that you’re gonna have to be able to persevere and play with the same kind of energy and intensity in the game for 60 minutes this time around.
“So it is different for college players, but it’s something and a good experience for them to get used to if they’re gonna play at the next level someday because it happens all the time.”
Saban has notable experience in same-season championship rematches. His 2001 LSU team fell to Tennessee in the regular season but defeated the Volunteers in the SEC Championship Game. Ten years later, Saban’s Tide squad lost to LSU in the regular season but defeated the Tigers in the BCS Championship Game.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
