Alabama Crimson Tide College Football Pregame Quote, 12/31/2018

GINA LEHE: On behalf of the College Football Playoff, we’d like to congratulate Alabama and look forward to welcoming them to the Bay Area. We’d like to welcome head coach Nick Saban. If you would, please make a brief opening statement.

NICK SABAN: Well, you know, it’s a real opportunity for our players to be able to play in the championship game again against an outstanding Clemson team. Coach Swinney and his team have had an outstanding year, and being 14-0 and ACC champs, they’ve got a really nice group of players on both sides of the ball. They’re a complete team in terms of their offense being very productive, averaging 44 points a game and 530 yards. The freshman quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, has done a fantastic job for them all year long. They’ve got great balance on offense in terms of their ability to run and throw and a talented group of receivers. Their defense is one of the best defensive teams in the country in lots of different categories, and they’ve got a really good front seven, and they’re very well-coached. This is certainly a complete team.

But again, our team is very excited about having the opportunity to be in the college football championship game again. This is several years in a row we’ve had to play, or got the opportunity to play Clemson, which is one of the great programs in the country right now. We’re certainly looking forward to the challenge.