“Nick Saban has lost his fastball” - 'Mad Dog' unleashes his funny rant against Alabama HC's QB strategy vs. South Florida
Nick Saban might have led Alabama to a 17-3 victory over South Florida, but sports personality Chris "Mad Dog" Russo isn't thrilled about it. The sports radio host went on a recent rant in which he questioned the long-serving coach's decision-making.
When you are Nick Saban, a win isn't enough to shield you from criticism.
Alabama entered Week 3 with a 34-24 home loss against Texas and needed to get back to winning ways. Although the Crimson Tide won, Russo wasn't happy with how Saban handled his quarterbacks.
Appearing on ESPN's "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday, Russo did not hold back on giving the legendary CFB coach a piece of his mind:
"Nick Saban has lost his fastball. Nick! Nick! Go have a moment on the back porch and read the newspapers. What are you doing? Benching Milroe here to play Tyler Buchner. My kid went to Notre Dame. You know how many times I sat in that stadium in South Bend, and they were booing this kid out of the building? I couldn't believe it.
"Then he played Ty Gibson, or what is his name? Ahhh! Ty Simpson! Ahhhh, come on! Look at these passes. This is worse than Stephen A., Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. This is ridiculous, I mean, he just lost to Texas."
The commentator, known for his hot takes, then gave a piece of advice to the Alabama coach on who to play in Week 4:
"Play Milroe. You cannot bench that kid and play Buchner and this Simpson junk. I'm sorry. Simpson guy!"
Everyone has a right to their opinion, but did Saban really get it wrong with his QB strategy against South Florida?
How did Nick Saban and Alabama QBs do against South Florida in Week 3?
Nick Saban benched his starting quarterback, Jalen Milroe, after Alabama's loss to the Longhorns in Week 2, where he threw 14 completions for 255 yards and two touchdowns. But he also ended up throwing two picks as the Crimson Tide fell to Texas.
So, Saban decided to shake his QB room for the South Florida game. He benched Milroe to give Tyler Buchner a chance, but that blew up as Buchner threw just five completions for a mere 34 yards. Ty Simpson also managed five completions for 73 yards.
None of the QBs managed a passing touchdown, although Simpson got into the endzone on foot once. Alabama managed to win the game 17-3. But it did not impress the fans.
The Crimson Tide next play the Ole Miss Rebels on Sept. 23, but will Nick Saban take Russo's advice regarding his starting quarterback?