Alabama’s Nick Saban entered the SEC Championship against Georgia — and head coach Kirby Smart, Saban’s former Bama defensive coordinator — with a 15-0 record in games against former assistants of his who have gone on to become head coaches.
Kirby Smart got close again, but Nick Saban’s former assistants still can’t beat him
Saban’s now 16-0 against his exes, beating them 40-14 on average. Smart deserves some credit for even getting close.
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Saban’s record in such games is now 16-0. One Jalen Hurts-led comeback and won disastrous Georgia fake punt later, the Tide beat Smart’s Bulldogs again. If you’re wondering where that leaves Saban against his exes, here’s an up-to-date accounting:
How Nick Saban’s former assistants have fared against him
Coach | Team | Record vs. Saban | Score vs. Saban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Dooley | Tennessee | 0-3 | 122-29 |
| Jim McElwain | Colorado State, Florida | 0-3 | 114-37 |
| Will Muschamp | Florida | 0-2 | 80-31 |
| Mark Dantonio | Michigan State | 0-2 | 87-7 |
| Jimbo Fisher | Florida State, Texas A&M | 0-2 | 69-30 |
| Jeremy Pruitt | Tennessee | 0-1 | 58-21 |
| Billy Napier | UL Lafayette | 0-1 | 56-14 |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | 0-2 | 61-51 |
Nobody except Smart has even gotten close to beating the master.
- Dooley got drubbed every time.
- McElwain got crushed every time, typically in SEC Championships with Florida.
- Muschamp, same, except it wasn’t in SEC Championships.
- Dantonio got destroyed too, including once in a Playoff semifinal.
- Fisher’s teams, both at FSU and A&M, have fought hard against Saban’s. But Fisher’s lost by at least 17 in both of his meetings as a head coach with his old boss. (He did beat Saban as FSU’s offensive coordinator, back in 2007, when Bama wasn’t yet Bama.)
- Pruitt’s Tennessee has only had one crack, and it went as expected.
- Napier’s coaching ULL, so it’s not entirely fair to include him, but whatever.
But Smart has built the closest thing out there to a Bama replica.
The Dawgs are recruiting just as well as Bama these days. They signed the country’s top class in 2018, ending Bama’s seven-year streak at No. 1. The Tide are back at No. 1 so far for 2019, but Georgia’s only two spots behind.
The programs are accumulating talent at similar levels, and Smart’s built a team that plays a lot like the program he used to work for. The Dawgs are fast and physical as hell, but much like the Tide, they’ve embraced spread offense and been fine trying new things.
All of that’s why Smart should get plenty more opportunities.
Whether he’ll ever actually beat Saban is an open question. If he doesn’t, who will?
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