Tillman: Despite dynasty, Alabama's Saban 'scared to death' of A&M
Published: 1/27/2013 10:44 AM
Last Modified: 1/27/2013 10:46 AM
Speaking with former OU running back Spencer Tillman the other night at the Tulsa Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony, he had a lot to say about his old school and the conference in which the Sooners play, the Big 12.
But he also had a few choice words about the school (Texas A&M) closest to where he lives (Sugarland, Texas), and the league in which the Aggies play (the Southeastern Conference).
And about defending national champion Alabama.
Since 1999, Tillman has been the lead studio analyst for CBS’ coverage of SEC football, so he has a front-row seat for and provides 20/20 insight into all things SEC.
When I asked him if Oklahoma can get to where Alabama is, he opined on what makes the Crimson Tide so great: head coach Nick Saban.
“He’s onto something that very few coaches can capture,” Tillman said, “and he’s engrained a culture that is such that he controls everything. That’s not a bad thing. If you’re gonna be successful at this level, you almost have to be a czar. For a coach that’s not in control of all those things, you either have to have a force from outside correct it — it can either be an administrative force, or it can be coaches from within — but first of all you have to recognize it, and then be willing to do something about it.”
But Saban and the Tide are not infallible, Tillman said. Texas A&M showed us that last season under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin and Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, winning 29-24 in Tuscaloosa.
“Texas A&M is the model. If anybody is scared of Texas A&M, it’s Alabama,” Tillman said.
“Nick Saban is scared to death. Because now Kevin Sumlin not only has a system that has been proven to work as a counterpunch at lesser programs like the University of Houston, where you can win 12 (with) the scheme (and) the pace of the game. Now he’s got the Jimmys and the Joes that look just like Alabama’s guys getting off the bus.
“I spoke with (Sumlin) in the preseason, I said, ‘Coach, if you don’t screw this up, you’re gonna have something special.’ (A&M’s success in 2012) was not a surprise to me. A proven system with the type of caliber athletes that can make a difference, and the guy who’s concerned about it more than anybody else is Nick Saban. You’ve got a new player on the block in the West, and it’s A&M.”
Written by
John E. Hoover
Sports Columnist
