Nick Saban is widely regarded as the greatest college football coach of all time. Over his legendary career, he amassed a 292-71-1 record, claiming seven national championships one at LSU and six at Alabama along with 11 SEC titles, split between two at LSU and nine at Alabama.
Yet, one of the few consistent challenges Saban faced came from former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. As one of Saban’s fiercest rivals, Malzahn managed a 3-5 record against the Hall of Famer in eight heated Iron Bowl showdowns, often finding ways to disrupt Alabama’s dominance.
On Friday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show’s Nick Saban reflected on what made Gus Malzahn’s teams particularly challenging to face. Now serving as Florida State’s offensive coordinator, Malzahn recently guided the Seminoles to a 31-17 victory over Alabama in this season’s opener, once again proving his knack for troubling Saban’s squads.
Nick Saban explained that Gus Malzahn’s offenses were always toughest to defend when he had a mobile quarterback something Malzahn currently has at Florida State. Saban noted Malzahn’s unwavering commitment to the run game, saying the added dimension of quarterback runs alongside zone-read concepts makes the offense far more dynamic.
He emphasized that Malzahn’s teams have never been known for their drop-back passing, but the combination of a dual-threat quarterback and a strong play-action system has often given them an edge. According to Saban, that formula consistently created headaches for Alabama’s defense during their matchups.
Saban also recalled a few unforgettable clashes, including the infamous “Kick Six” and another game where Alabama was penalized for having 12 men on the field late in a close contest. He credited those wild finishes to effective game-planning and sharp execution by Malzahn’s teams.
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