Nick Saban uses the mundane “tin horn” analogy again when discussing Alabama-LSU on the GameDay set

Alabama vs. LSU on Saturday is one of the SEC's biggest college football games each year, and Nick Saban pulled off one of his biggest press conference successes in analysis.

During ESPN's live broadcast of College GameDay from Baton Rouge, Saban noted that the key to the game is “the resiliency that Alabama can show as a team.” He noted how his team responded during a visit to Tiger Stadium in 2018, when they posted a 29-0 win.

“When we came in here with Tua (Tagovailoa) playing quarterback, he went right across the field like shit through a tin horn,” Saban said. “We get down there in the student section, man, and we suffer four false starts in a row. They take us right out of field goal range.

“But the key to the deal was that no one was affected. You hate receiving punishments, but you can't be affected by them. Alabama was affected in Tennessee when there were early snap count issues. I think it influenced her. You can't be affected by something like this. … You have to create momentum to keep the crowd out of the game, and that comes from consistency, playing in and playing out.”

Saban first used the “tin horn” analogy in a press conference in 2015, the week before Alabama played Charleston Southern. Saban made the point that the Crimson Tide couldn't take their opponent lightly, as might have been the case in a 45-21 victory over Georgia Southern in 2011, when the Eagles rushed for 302 yards and – in In Saban’s words – “walked through our gates”. Ass as shit through a tin horn.”

On Saturday, Saban's panelists reacted with surprise, but didn't let go of his profane statement. Kirk Herbstreit asked, “You've used that tin horn thing before and I've always wanted to ask you what it means?”

Saban: “I can’t explain what it means.”

Then Pat McAfee chimed in: “It just goes through, there’s no resistance.”

Rece Davis: “I don’t know why you would put that in a tin horn.”