Fisher reiterates he has 'a lot of respect' for Saban in press conference
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — All eyes were at midfield as college football fans and media were anxious to see how the first meeting between Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban would go.
After an offseason filled with spicy jabs between the two coaches, Fisher said there wasn't too much said between him and Saban after Texas A&M's 24-20 loss to Alabama, but he noted "there's a lot of respect" for his former boss at LSU.
"I told him they have a good team and good luck for the rest of the year and he did the same for me," Fisher said during his postgame press conference.
Saban and Fisher's beef sparked plenty of headlines after the Alabama head coach claimed Texas A&M "bought every player" in its top-ranked recruiting class with name, image and likeness deals. Fisher responded by saying Saban's comments were "despicable" and called him a "narcissist" in May.
Around a month later, Saban tried to clarify his comments saying he was frustrated with the "unintended consequences" of NIL and called for stronger regulations. The feud ultimately fizzled out during SEC Media Days with Fisher stating there was "no ill-will" between the two coaches.
Despite squashing the beef before the season started, fans patiently waited for Alabama and Texas A&M's matchup which finally arrived on Saturday.
The game was broadcasted during CBS' primetime slot and did not disappoint as the Aggies drove down to the Alabama two-yard line late in the fourth quarter, only to fall short in a 24-20 loss to the No. 1 Crimson Tide.
"He coached very well and they have good players and they battled," Fisher said. "Our guys went toe-to-toe with them. I mean that shows you what we're capable of. Hopefully, we can bring that same energy and force in every game for the last six games."
Texas A&M was just 72 inches away from doing something that hasn't been done during Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama — beat the Crimson Tide in October.
While the Aggies tallied 323 total yards, the third-highest total of the season, they couldn't convert in the red zone, despite scoring in their prior four trips inside the Alabama 20-yard line.
It's Texas A&M's third loss of the season, but Fisher reiterated the defeat is something the team can rally around as it heads to a bye week before playing the rest of its schedule.
"It's what you work on and we had what we wanted to go to — we just have to make them," Fisher said. "That's what good teams and good players (do). Give them credit, they made a play when they had to and give our team credit for fighting. We just have to learn from that and make sure we capitalize on it for next time."