Nick Saban’s comments about Vanderbilt resurfaced on Saturday after the Commodores secured an upset victory over No. 1 Alabama.
Vanderbilt won at home by the score of 40-35, representing the school’s first win over the Crimson Tide since 1984.
During a Sept. 20 appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, the legendary former Alabama head coach discussed the lack of a hostile road environment that he believed the Commodores possessed.
“The only place you’re going to play in the SEC that’s not hard to play, Vanderbilt,” Saban said (h/t Steve Samra of On3.com). “When you play at Vanderbilt, you have more fans there than they have, and that’s no disrespect to them, it’s the truth.”
Fans were quick to reference his quote following the surprising loss on Saturday.
Saban’s teams were dominant at FirstBank Stadium throughout his tenure with the program, allowing Vanderbilt to score just 13 total points (via NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach).
While it’s true that his Crimson Tide squads weren’t fazed by the road environment, his comments were clearly used as bulletin board material by the Commodores. They secured their first win over a top-five team on Saturday after they previously owned a record of 0-60 against such opponents, per Stewart Mandel of The Athletic.
After a statement win over No. 5 Georgia on Sept. 28, Alabama followed it up with a shocking defeat on Saturday.
