Nick Saban to Kirby Smart: ‘You guys kicked our a** in the fourth quarter’

Nick Saban had a blunt message for Kirby Smart when the two coaches shook hands after the game:

“You guys kicked our a** in the fourth quarter,” Saban said with a smile.

The Alabama coach didn’t intend for that comment to be publicized, but he said it to Smart while dozens of cameras were within inches of the coaches after the game.

To Saban’s credit, his candid remark was dead on. Monday’s high-stakes showdown between Alabama and UGA was different than the 2017 national championship and 2018 SEC Championship – two contests where the Bulldogs held a commanding lead in the second half only to falter.

On Monday night, UGA finished the drill: They outscored Alabama 20-9 in the fourth quarter to win the school’s first national championship since 1980.

Ironically, the game ended on a defensive touchdown by the Bulldogs – which pretty much summed up the season for UGA. Defense carried the team to the national title, and had it not had one bad game against Alabama (in the SEC Championship), that defense may be considered the greatest all-time in NCAA history.

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