The Alabama Crimson Tide started the 2025 season in regrettable fashion, losing in blowout fashion to an unranked Florida State Seminoles team that finished 2-10 last year. Since the game, fans are calling for second year head coach Kalen DeBoer’s job while the media tries to make sense of his four losses against unranked opponents since arriving in Tuscaloosa.
Former legendary head coach turned prolific media presence, Nick Saban, provided his thoughts on the humiliating Week 1 loss.
“Obviously for me, and for a lot of the Bama fans, the disappointment that Florida State dominated the line of scrimmage of both sides of the ball,” Saban said on ESPN’s College Football Countdown Monday night.
However, the always optimistic Saban provided some much needed positivity for the Tide’s outlook.
“But the good news is every team has the best opportunity to improve from Week 1 to Week 2, because, really going into the season, you don’t really know what you have for sure as a coach, and you’re always very anxious about what you might happen in the first game,” Saban continued. “I’m sure they’re all disappointed, players and coaches alike. But they all do have a great chance to improve from Week 1 to Week 2. That’s when you make the biggest improvement.”
Kalen DeBoer’s Loss Ties Saban’s Career Total
Saban’s success has earned more respect since the loss, with a few stats resurfacing. Firstly, it is the first Week 1 loss for the Crimson Tide since 2006, before Nick Saban arrived. Secondly, with coach DeBoer’s fourth unranked loss, he now has as many losses against such team’s as Saban did in his 18 seasons.
“Over a season and one game, DeBoer is 6-4 against unranked teams, while Saban went 124-4 versus unranked teams from 2007-23. In 118 fewer games against ranked opponents for Alabama, DeBoer already has as many losses as Saban did,” wrote SI’s Eva Geitheim.
Germie Bernard and Qua Russaw On Loss
If there’s anybody on the Crimson Tide roster who can demand more of his teammates, its wide receiver Germia Bernard.
Bernard hauled in eight passes Saturday for a team high 146 yards. He used his time during his media availability to ask his teammates to demand more of each other.
“We all love each other. We all want the best for each other, but we’re not going to allow one guy to stop us from getting to our goals. So, holding each other accountable, that’s what it’s going to take,” Bernard said. “Being able to be on your brother, yell at your brother if you need to. They know it’s all love at the end of the day.”
Middle linebacker Qua Russaw, who is returning to Bama after an impressive freshman year, also spoke to the media after recording two tackles in the opener.
“I would just say it’s more of guys just trying to do their job and a little scared to mess up,” Russaw told reporters. “We have guys all over the team, athletic wise, who can just have fun, man. That’s all the coaches are trying to get us to do is just be ourselves. We don’t have to hesitate. Just go and just pull the pin. Just go.”
Russaw went on to say the best is still ahead of this Crimson Tide team.
“Just moving on. Just knowing that wasn’t us,” Russaw continued. “That wasn’t our best ballgame that we played last game. Just knowing where we went wrong, accepting it, not just saying excuses and that. Just accepting we didn’t do good and fixing that this week.”
Nick Saban Reveals Thoughts On Alabama’s Humiliating Week 1 Loss