Nick Saban watched Alabama earn a massive Week 5 victory over Georgia. Kirby Smart messaged his former boss and SEC rival after the game.
Two weeks ago, Kalen DeBoer won his first game coaching the Crimson Tide against the Bulldogs. Saban’s former team squandered a 28-0 deficit but nevertheless escaped with a 41-34 win behind a late 75-yard touchdown strike from Jalen Milroe to Ryen Williams.
The following Saturday, Saban said on ESPN’s College GameDay that he texted Smart to tell his former defensive coordinator that the loss was “not the worst thing that ever happened.” After leading Georgia to a bounce-back win over Auburn, Smart told reporters he sent a similar sentiment to Saban.
“I reached out to him after our game,” Smart said in Saturday’s post-game press conference. “I initiated the contact and told him, ‘The sun’s still going to come up tomorrow.’ Because that was the saying he always had before the game to make you realize that it’s so big to us as coaches, but it’s a game. It’s a game of football.”
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Smart recalled Saban’s response.
“‘You’ve got a great team. They play really hard and they should be proud of the way they played. Keep getting them better,'” Smart said Saban told him. “I appreciate those comments.”
Georgia responded with a 31-13 win over Auburn at Sanford Stadium. Smart hasn’t lost to a team other than Alabama since falling to Florida in Week 7 of the 2020 season.
On the other hand, Saban may have needed to send DeBoer the same encouragement about the sun rising after his successor’s first major setback. Alabama followed the huge win over Georgia with a stunning loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday.
Related: Kirby Smart Opens Up About Facing Alabama Without Nick Saban